HALBERTSMA

NETHERLANDS (see also List of Individuals)

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4.1.1853 Sneek/NL - 17.2.1929 Utrecht/NL

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Hidde Petrus Nicolaas Halbertsma graduated as a civil engineer from Hannover Technical University in 1874, after having initiated studies at Aachen Polytechnic in 1870. He then joined the hydraulic service of Hannover to execute the main water supply conduit for the city. The 1880 paper reviews that project. Halbertsma moved to Groningen in 1879 to design the water supply of that Dutch city. He there realized that mainly communities had to take responsibility for the planning and execution of drinking water networks. Previously, this task was either taken by industries or privates who owned a spring. With the industrialization, the quality of the drinking water was often poor, resulting in public waterborne diseases.

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After the Groningen water supply project was successfully completed in 1881, Halbertsma founded a consulting office in Rotterdam first, and then moved to Amsterdam. It was there where his name was closely related to the development of the Dutch drinking water provision. In total, Halbertsma designed the water supply schemes for thirteen Dutch cities, among which are Arnhem, Bussum and Tilburg. Water towers were of particular relevance in the Netherlands, one of the flattest countries worldwide. Halbertsma was one of the pioneering individuals of water tower architecture. A number of his designs may be appreciated in Internet pages. He was also a consultant for the water supply in the Dutch Indies and contributed to the sanitation of the capital Den Haag. Halbertsma was also associated with the German Association for Gas and Water Experts. He in addition contributed to the history of water supply in the Netherlands by his 1897 paper. In 1902, Halbertsma was appointed director of the water, gas and electricity works of Wiesbaden in Germany, from where he returned to the Netherlands in 1911. He settled in Utrecht and there took various political positions. Halbertsma may thus be considered a successful hydraulic engineer who added considerably to his country in terms of improving the drinking water quality.

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_{Halbertsma, H.P.N. (1879). Iets over de waterleidings-kwestie in Nederland. Sneek: Utrecht. Halbertsma. H.P.N. (1896). Waterleiding te Amsterdam. De Ingenieur 11: 75-81.}

_{Halbertsma, H.P.N. (1897). Historische inleiding betreffende waterleidingen in Nederland. Gedenkboek van het Koninglik Instituut van Ingenieurs 1847-1897. s'Gravenhage. Halbertsma, H.P.N. (1914). De watervoorziening der stad Wiesbaden. Arnhem. Sandick, R.A. van (1929). H.P.N. Halbertsma. De Ingenieur 44(12): A107-A108. http://www.historietilburg.nl/tijdschrift/5.3/122.htm P http://www.historietilburg.nl/tijdschrift/5.3/122.htm}