Dry feet, sufficient clean water and reliable and useful
information. That is what integrated water management means to
Rijkswaterstaat. Smooth and safe transport by water are other
ways of using water. The Dutch waterway network is the densest
in Europe. About 6000 kilometers of rivers and canals, many of
the latter serving drainage as well as navigation, form a
complex system serving all parts of the country. The main
commercial waterways (Class IV and higher), with a total length
of 2200 kilometer, account for about 40% of international
freight movements in the Netherlands and 20% of domestic
freight. The main network is state-owned and operated by
Rijkswaterstaat. Smaller waterways are managed by many different
provincial authorities or drainage boards.