Rijkswaterstaat

Rijkswaterstaat

Rijkswaterstaat
National logo of the government of the Netherlands
Rijkswaterstaat headquarters in Utrecht.
National agency overview
Formed	1798
Jurisdiction	Government of the Netherlands
Headquarters	Utrecht, the Netherlands
Motto	Water, wegen, werken. Rijkswaterstaat (water, roads, works. Rijkswaterstaat)
Employees	5001-10000
Annual budget	5 000 000 000 eu
National agency executives	Martin Wijnen, Director-General Patricia Zorko, Deputy Director-General Sylvia Bijl, Chief Financial Officer Erica Slump, Chief Engineer-Director Traffic and Water Management Bob Demoet, Chief Engineer-Director Programs, Projects and Maintenance Louis Schouwstra, Chief Operational Officer Ron Kolkman, Chief Information Officer
Parent department	Ministry of infrastructure and water management
Website	https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl

Rijkswaterstaat,^[1] founded in 1798 as the Bureau voor den Waterstaat and formerly translated to Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management, is a Directorate-General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands. Its role is the practical execution of the public works and water management, including the construction and maintenance of waterways and roads, and flood protection and prevention. The agency was also involved in the construction of big railway projects such as the Betuweroute and the HSL-Zuid.

The mission statement of the organisation reads: "Rijkswaterstaat is de rijksdienst die werkt aan droge voeten, schoon en voldoende water én aan de vlotte en veilige doorstroming van het verkeer" (Rijkswaterstaat is the national agency that provides dry feet, clean and sufficient water and a quick and safe flow of traffic). The agency is divided in 10 regional, 6 specialist services and 2 special services.

The current director-general of Rijkswaterstaat is Martin Wijnen, who assumed office on 1 January 2024.^[2] Since 1 January 2006, Rijkswaterstaat has been an (executive) agentschap (agency).