The mills have always been essential in controlling water levels in the Alblasserwaard. This task has gradually been taken over by pumping stations, which were initially deployed instead of the mills when there was little or no wind. There are currently three pumping stations at Kinderdijk, namely the Wisboom pumping station, the J.U. Smit pumping station and the Overwaard pumping station. The latter two are used to drain the area. In 2002 a third pumping step was installed in the Lek Dyke to enable the pumping stations to discharge into the river even at high water levels.

Wisboomgemaal (Wisboom pumping station)
The Wisboomgemaal was built in 1868 as a steam-driven pumping station. Its four waterwheels lifted water from the low boezem of the Overwaard into the high boezem. In 1924 the installation was dismantled and the chimney stack beside the pumping station was torn down. Two centrifugal pumps were installed and two electric motors provided power. The pumps had a joint capacity of 435 m3 per minute. There is a workshop next to the engine room. The pumping station has two former company houses, one of which now houses the Kinderdijk World Heritage Foundation. In 1995 the pumping station was shut down after the new Overwaard pumping station was completed. It has been restored and still boasts the installation of the 1920s. The ‘Wind, Water and Wings’ exhibition was opened in the pumping station on 29 June 2005. This exhibition is intended for groups of schoolchildren and (by appointment) for groups of tourists.

The J.U. Smitgemaal was built in 1972 as an Archimedean pumping station driven by diesel engines. Its three screws have a joint capacity of 1,500 m3 per minute and drain the low boezem of the Nederwaard. The water is discharged into the Lek River via a drainage basin. Initially, the water was discharged via a sluice. The steam-driven Van Haaften pumping station, built in 1868 and modified in 1927, used stand here but was largely demolished when the J.U. Smitgemaal was constructed.

J.U. Smitgemaal (J.U. Smit pumping station)

The Overwaard pumping station
The Overwaard pumping station was built in 1995 as an electrically driven Archimedean screw pumping station with a capacity of 1500 m3 per minute. It drains the Low Boezem of the Overwaard. A dam has been built in the High Boezem enabling water to be drained into the High Boezem as well as into the Lek River. This pumping station replaces the nearby Wisboomgemaal. An additional pump was installed in the dyke in 2002. This is called the third drainage step. Both the J.U. Smitgemaal and the Overwaard pumping station can discharge water into the Like River via this third drainage step.