Water Management Alliance

South Holland IDB is the lineal descendant of the Holland Elloe Court of Sewers with over 500 years of history behind it: the spade, the scythe and engine wrought by wind have given way to the hydraulic excavator, mechanical weed control and the modern day pumping station, but the problems for those of us who solve them remain the same. In the early part of the 17^th Century Cornelius Vermuyden, a Dutch Engineer and a number of entrepreneurs known as ‘the adventurers’ helped reclaim and drain much of what is now the Board’s area. Ever since 1793 the Board and its immediate predecessors have continued with passion to improve and maintain their drainage systems, which has helped create the thriving local economy and environment we all enjoy today.

Reducing Flood Risk

The Board still has close links with Holland, which is synonymous with flood safety and sound drainage. We have been very successful in reducing flood risk over the years. So successful in fact, that many people living and working in the area know nothing of the Internal Drainage Board and the vital work that we do to help prevent flooding and facilitate land use.

Measuring Success

Our success is inevitably measured by what does not happen rather than what does happen, which means that if flooding does not occur frequently the value of what we do is sometimes questioned. But it is precisely because we continually maintain, improve and watch over the drainage system that we are actually able to reduce the risk of flooding.

Evolution

Great strides forward have been made over the years: the system of drainage which was based on an individual’s liability to repair a particular stretch of drain gave way to the small Board centred on a particular drain or outfall. The coming of expensive machinery and modern methods resulted in their amalgamation into an organisation big enough to employ the professional staff and own the machinery and equipment essential to efficient drainage but without losing the intimate contact with the land, which is at the heart of good drainage.

The Future

With passion, foresight and a little bit of common sense, we will be allowed to continue to evolve and help protect the people of South Holland, whatever the cost may be, for generations to come.