In the Netherlands, safe and clean water is regarded as a basic need. That’s why tap water is safe to drink everywhere in the greater Rotterdam area. The quality is comparable to bottled mineral water, without any taste of chloride or salt. Read on to find out more about the water in Rotterdam, how to find your household water meter, and how to transmit the meter readings.
The water service in Rotterdam is supplied by the Evides drinking water company. Tap water is sourced from the Maas River. This water is first naturally filtered, after which it flows to several water purification plants in Rotterdam. The result is clean, fresh, soft water, perfectly suitable for everyone – including infants. Rotterdam tap water is comparable to bottled mineral water, but 200 to 800 times cheaper. Water in Rotterdam costs € 1,03 per 1,000 litres, with an annual fixed service cost of € 78,65.
How does Evides calculate my water use?
To calculate your water use, a water meter is installed in almost every house. This is an easy, trustworthy system to keep track of how much water is used per household. When you move into a new house, one of the first things you should do is find your water meter and pass the meter readings on to Evides within five days. (You should do the same for your electricity meter; find out here.) The Evides website is very helpful and offers step-by-step instructions.
Please note that if you don’t transmit the meter readings to Evides, Evides will estimate the numbers. Estimated readings may cause you to pay for more water than you actually use, so please make sure you tell the meter readings to Evides in time.
Where can I find the water meter?
The water meter is placed next to the electricity meter in most houses. It probably has a blue cap (see photo). If it’s not next to the electricity meter, it might be in your bathroom, the basement or behind a visible panel in your house. In some cases, it may be downstairs in a communal area. Your landlord or estate agent can tell you where it is before you move in.
How can I transmit my meter readings?
Transmitting your meter readings is easily done. When you move in, you will find a small card in your new letterbox for entering your meter readings (meterstanden). This card will give you a reference number (registratienummer). If you are confident enough in using Dutch, you can enter your meter readings online. If you are not that confident in reading Dutch, you can also call 0800-9100 (freephone) to give the meter reading over the phone. Please have your reference number with you, as well as your new address and postal code (if you don’t already know these details by heart). If you don’t have a reference number or if you lost it, just call Evides and they will arrange your estimate for you without a reference number.
You should transmit only the numbers before the comma (which is the decimal divider in Dutch). The numbers after that will not be charged, so you don’t have to round up the number.
How do I pay for water?
Evides will estimate your water use, based on how many people live in your house. You pay for water in advance, by either a monthly manual transfer or an automatic direct debit from your bank. After a year, you will need to submit another meter reading to see whether this estimate was correct. Evides will give you money back if they estimated too much, or will send you an invoice if the estimate was a bit too low.
Note: sewage taxes
Please note that Dutch sanitation law requires every household to pay taxes for the use of the sewage services. This is a yearly payment. Find out more under taxes/sanitation law.
