Water pollution in the Dutch Peat Colonies of Groningen, 1850-1980

In the mid-19th century the first potato starch and strawboard
factories were established in the Groningen Peat Colonies
(Veenkoloniën) in the Northern Netherlands. The number of
factories increased until there more than thirty in 1900. These
industries brought jobs but also water pollution and stench
caused by the released thousands of cubic metres of waste water
into the canals. For most of the 20th century pollution was not
an issue but the industry realised that tons of useful minerals
and organic substances were “wasted” by dumping it with the waste
water into water courses. Experiments were set up to extract
useful minerals and other substances for the production of fodder
or fertiliser. None of these efforts resulted in solving the
water pollution problem of the Groningen Peat Colonies. The
pollution persisted until the latter quarter of the 20th century.


Episode 76 of Exploring Environmental History investigates the
origins and extent of the water pollution in Groningen and why it
took more than a century before the problem was solved. It will
highlight why the early experiments failed and the consequences
of this for water quality in the province of Groningen.