AQUADRA

District water boards, regional authorities, provinces, and municipalities in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion commit to the Aquadra project by means of a “contrat de rivière”, a river contract based on a Walloon model, for four transboundary rivers: the Geul (including the Gulp), the Voer, Jeker, and the Berwinne. The contract forms the basis for joint water management.

For this water management, Aquadra develops practical tools and a transboundary management structure. Hydrological models and monitoring networks are compared to reduce the risk of flooding. Various pilot projects have been implemented. For example, additional monitoring stations have been placed in Wallonia to be able to adjust the basins in Limburg earlier and more accurately. Another example is the retaining of water from the Voer in the Horstergrub valley for a longer period of time, so as to prevent downstream flooding.

Upstream measures to avoid downstream problems is what we call “aqua solidarity”, a concept which was introduced to a wide Euregional audience by way of educational projects, walking and cycling routes, and informative signs at the site of completed projects.

Didier Bonni from the Agence de Dévelopment Local (ADL) Lontzen Plombières Welkenraedt talks about Aquadra:

“Since our development organisation had previous Interreg III experience with the 2002-2004 Geul valley project, we were asked to lead Aquadra. The Geul valley project involved seven municipalities and many other parties on both sides of the border. Our subsidy request in 2002 was supported by the Tri-Country Park, which aims to support transboundary projects. The Tri-Country Park also played an important role in the Aquadra subsidy request. Both the Geul valley project and the Aquadra project are part of the Tri-Country Park Development Perspective, which looks towards the future and aims to maintain green areas between Hasselt, Aachen, Liège, and Maastricht. Our plans for the four Aquadra rivers are part of building a sustainable water management structure, and also contribute to meeting the Dutch water management guidelines.”

Harry Tolkamp, senior strategy and policy advisor at the Roer and Overmaas District Water Board, explains:

“For years, we have been trying to work towards transboundary cooperation on water issues, but it has always been difficult to get all the parties involved to sit down together. Aquadra takes away existing formal boundaries between the countries and simplifies the cooperation. It is easy to find one another and get down to business right away. We now aim to create permanent bottom-up deliberation systems.”