Delta Decisions also in the National Water Plan
On 22 January, the national daily paper De Volkskrant and the Government Gazette (Staatscourant) both paid attention to ‘the intention to amend the National Water Plan for the approval of the Delta Decisions, including drawing up an Environmental Impact Assessment. The articles explain the intended amendment and provide information on the possibility of submitting an opinion.
By incorporating the Delta Decisions and the region-specific preferred strategies, which we are preparing in the Delta Programme 2015, into the National Water Plan they become embedded in policy. This is important because this sets down the way in which we deal with our (spatial) policy regarding water safety and an adequate freshwater supply.
The cabinet members for Infrastructure & the Environment (I&M) and Economic Affairs (EZ) intend to amend the National Water Plan by setting down in it the Delta Decisions and the related region-specific preferred strategies. Preparatory to this amendment, the government is having a study conducted into the environmental impact (an EIA). The draft memorandum on the Scope and Level of Detail of the EIA is available for perusal.
The National Water Plan (NWP) is the government’s plan for water policy. It will be published very soon after the Delta Programme 2015 is presented on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament). The Delta Decisions will be set out in the Delta Programme 2015. Through a partial, interim amendment to the NWP, the Minister of I&M and the State Secretary of EZ intend to embed the government policy that arises from the Delta Decisions and the region-specific preferred strategies in the policy set down in the NWP.