Public input sought for Geul River Basin safety plans in Limburg
Residents of Limburg can now share their views on plans to improve water safety in the Geul River Basin. The feedback period runs until 30 April 2026, shaping future measures to protect communities from flooding and environmental risks.
| Key Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Feedback Period | 20 March 2026 – 30 April 2026 |
| Involved Authorities | Province of Limburg, Waterschap Limburg, 8 municipalities (e.g., Maastricht) |
| Programme | Geul River Basin Programme (under Environment and Planning Act) |
| Environmental Assessment | planMER (Environmental Impact Assessment) |
| Information Meeting | 13 April 2026 (details at wachtnietopwater.nl/geul) |
| How to Respond | Email (postbus@prvlimburg.nl), post, or phone (043 389 99 99) |
| Documents Available | Online and at municipal offices, Waterschap Limburg, and Government Building |
The Province of Limburg, Waterschap Limburg, and local municipalities are collaborating to enhance water safety in the Geul River Basin. Their role involves developing and implementing measures under the Environment and Planning Act to mitigate flooding risks and protect the environment, ensuring compliance with legal and ecological standards.
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Notice of Scope and Level of Detail for the planMER for the Geul River Basin Programme
From 20 March 2026 to 30 April 2026, anyone can respond to the ‘Notice of Scope and Level of Detail for the planMER for the Geul River Basin Programme’. This Notice is the first step in the process to develop an environmental impact assessment plan (planMER) and describes what will be examined in the planMER and how this will be done.
Geul River Basin Programme and NRD/planMER
Within the Water Safety and Space Limburg programme, the authorities in Limburg are collaborating to improve the water safety of the regional waterways. The authorities involved are: the Province of Limburg, Waterschap Limburg, and the municipalities of Eijsden-Margraten, Gulpen-Wittem, Maastricht, Meerssen, Simpelveld, Vaals, Valkenburg aan de Geul, and Voerendaal. For the Geul River Basin, the eight participating municipalities, Waterschap Limburg, and the Province of Limburg have initiated a procedure to develop a joint programme under the Environment and Planning Act. This is the ‘Geul River Basin Programme’. This programme will include measures that together should lead to a safer Geul River Basin.
A planMER is being prepared for the Geul River Basin Programme. The programme will form the framework for the water management measures to be taken and the decision-making process regarding them. This may involve decisions that are subject to environmental impact assessment obligations. In addition, an appropriate assessment must be carried out, as it cannot be ruled out that the programme will have significant effects on a Natura 2000 area; part of the Geul River Basin is designated as such. This is also a reason for preparing a planMER. As the first step in the planMER procedure, a Notice of Scope and Level of Detail (NRD) has been drawn up. This NRD sets out which effects on the living environment will be examined as environmental impacts, at what level of detail this will be done, and how the variants to be examined will be assessed to ultimately arrive at a preferred variant. The NRD guides the preparation of the planMER and was recently adopted separately by all the authorities involved. This notice provides an opportunity for anyone to respond to it.
Information Meetings
You are cordially invited to the information meeting that the collaborating authorities will organise on 13 April 2026. During this meeting, you will receive information about the approach and planning of the programme and the associated planMER. More information about the meetings can be found at: www.wachtnietopwater.nl/geul.
How can you respond?
You can respond to this NRD from 20 March 2026 to 30 April 2026. The document can be consulted digitally via ‘View documents’ at: https://wachtnietopwater.nl/geul (Links to an external website). The document is also available for inspection during office hours at:
- the municipal offices of the municipalities of Eijsden-Margraten, Gulpen-Wittem, Maastricht, Meerssen, Simpelveld, Vaals, Valkenburg aan de Geul, and Voerendaal in the usual manner and during opening hours;
- Waterschap Limburg, Maria Theresialaan 99, Roermond during the usual hours and manner;
- the Government Building, Limburglaan 10, Maastricht, on working days from 7:30 to 18:30.
You can respond to the NRD in various ways
By post
If you choose to respond by post, you are free to send your response to your own municipality (Municipal Executive), the Province of Limburg (Provincial Executive), or Waterschap Limburg (Board of Directors). You do not need to write to multiple authorities; one response is sufficient.
The registration of incoming responses is handled centrally by the Province of Limburg (WRL), after which they are shared with the participating municipalities and Waterschap Limburg. For this reason, the same postal address is used for all authorities involved: PO Box 5700, 6202 MA, MAASTRICHT. Specifically, this means:
- If you choose your own municipality, your letter should be addressed as follows:Mayor and Aldermen of [municipality name]c/o programme WRLP.O. Box 57006202 MA MAASTRICHT
- If you choose the Province of Limburg, your letter should be addressed as follows:Provincial Executive of Limburgc/o programme WRLP.O. Box 57006202 MA MAASTRICHT
- If you choose Waterschap Limburg, your letter should be addressed as follows:Board of Directors of Waterschap Limburgc/o programme WRLP.O. Box 57006202 MA MAASTRICHT
Clearly state in your letter: ‘Response to NRD Geul River Basin Approach’ along with your name and address.
Digitally (by email)
You can respond digitally by emailing postbus@prvlimburg.nl, addressed to Programme WRL, and including ‘Response to NRD Geul River Basin Approach’ in the subject line.
Please also include your name and address in your email response (or any attachment). We prefer responses by email, as you will automatically receive a confirmation of receipt. These responses will also be shared with the participating municipalities and Waterschap Limburg.
Orally
You can provide your response by telephone during office hours on working days by calling 043 389 99 99. You can use this number to schedule an appointment to have your response recorded.
What happens to your response?
In all cases, you will receive a confirmation of receipt. Your response will be taken into account when deciding whether the process to develop the planMER needs to be adjusted and whether any aspects not yet mentioned need to be examined further. We will inform all submitters via a response note about how the received responses have been addressed.
Need digital assistance?
The collaborating authorities consider it important that everyone can participate. However, not everyone is equally comfortable with computers. That is why there are Digital Government Information Points. You can find these information points in libraries. You can easily drop in to ask questions about government websites. For example, to view documents related to this project on a computer. Ask about them at your local library.
More information
For any questions about the content of this notice, you can contact the service desk of the Province of Limburg by calling 043 389 9999 or by email.
Why are the joint authorities publishing this notice?
Government decisions regarding, for example, permits and regulations can affect your living environment. By publishing this notice, we inform you of the decisions we have made or plan to make.