Drainage area

You are now cycling through the Bethunepolder, over 3 meters below sea level. Once, this area of 535 hectares was a drained pond, until the land drainage in 1880 with the help of investments from the Belgian Count de Béthune. Due to the enormous amount of seepage water, the ground – despite the dense grid pattern of drainage ditches and a pumping station – was not dry enough for agriculture and horticulture. The majority of the world’s drinking water springs up here: as much as 1000 liters of water per second. This water is supplied underground from the Utrecht Hill Ridge. Additionally, water from the surrounding, higher-lying polders flows to this lowest point in the region. No less than 1/3 of Amsterdam's drinking water comes from the Bethunepolder. The lowest-lying northeastern part of the polder remains too wet for arable farming despite the pumping of drinking water. Here, you can see alder forests and extensive reed fields that are mowed for, among other things, thatched roofs. Due to the increase in groundwater levels, this agricultural area is currently being transformed into a nature reserve.

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