Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes - Vogelenzang

Every year, some 70 million m3 of water is purified in the dune area between Zandvoort and Noordwijk. That is about two-thirds of the drinking water for Amsterdam. To guarantee the quality of drinking water, a good balance and healthy nature is very important. The area, managed by Waternet, consists of white dunes and grey dunes with flowery grasslands and wet valleys, full of small pools.

The water takes an entire route during treatment. It enters a distribution pond and is conveyed via supply channels to infiltration channels. A small cascade (waterfall) adds oxygen to the water and in the infiltration channels the water slowly sinks into the sandy bottom. After about 2 months, most of the water seeps into the lower-lying stock channels, and the rest is extracted with drains. The clean water then runs into the Orange Bowl, a large collector pond with four large pumps that pump it through to the treatment plants where it is further purified and transported as tap water.

Fallow deer, foxes, pine martens and many other animals live in the area. In the inner dune is forest and excellent hiking. You cannot enter the dune by bike, only on special days accompanied by a guide. For those dates, check the agenda on the website. On other days, it is worth parking your bike and taking a walk through the dunes.

The visitor centre offers information and tips and a shop selling regional products. The large pumps, which used to pump water from the dunes to the water purification area, can still be seen here.