Wouda pumping station

Wouda pumping station
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Interactive map of Wouda pumping station
Official nameir. D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)
LocationTacozijl, Lemsterland, De Fryske Marren, Netherlands
CriteriaCultural: (i), (ii), (iv)
Reference867
Inscription1998 (22nd Session)
Area7.32 ha (18.1 acres)
Buffer zone20.68 ha (51.1 acres)
Websitewww.woudagemaal.nl
Coordinates52°50′45″N 5°40′44″E / 52.84583°N 5.67889°E / 52.84583; 5.67889
Wouda pumping station
Location of Wouda pumping station in Friesland
Wouda pumping station
Wouda pumping station (Netherlands)

The ir. D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station (ir. D.F. Woudagemaal) is a pumping station in the Netherlands, and the largest still operational steam-powered pumping station in the world. On 7 October 1920 Queen Wilhelmina opened the pumping station. It was built to pump excess water out of Friesland, a province in the north of the Netherlands. In 1967, the coal furnaces were converted to run on heavy fuel oil.

It has a pumping capacity of 4,000 m3/min (1,100,000 U.S. gal/min). The pumping station is currently used to supplement the existing pumping capacity of the J.L. Hooglandgemaal in Stavoren in case of exceptionally high water levels in Friesland, which usually happens a few times each year. The pumping station has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1998