Already when the Dedemsvaart was constructed in 1810, the municipal council of the city of Ommen saw the importance of a connection between this canal and the Vecht. These attempts failed. However, when the drainage of the Dedemsvaart started to cause problems due to the increased water discharge from the reclaimed peat areas, a need arose for a drainage canal to the Vecht. In the years 1865-1866, the Ommerkanaal was constructed as a side canal of the Dedemsvaart. The canal ran along the east side of the city of Ommen, via the Rotbrink, to a harbour at the Hardenbergerweg. There was no direct connection to the Vecht. However, water could be discharged via a culvert under the Hardenbergerweg onto an old branch of the Vecht.
During construction, the canal was made suitable for zompen, a type of ship that was widely used in the eastern Netherlands at that time, and barges. Due to the small dimensions of the canal, larger ships could not navigate the canal. For the benefit of shipping, the canal was widened at the end of the nineteenth century. The harbour in Ommen was also deepened during this period. From that time on, larger ships of up to 80 tons could also use the canal.
Due to the poor navigability in the summer months, shipping on the Dedemsvaart decreased by 25% in the years 1920-1925. Transport via the Overijsselse Kanalen and the Hoogeveense Vaart increased during that period. This decrease in traffic was also noticeable on the Ommerkanaal. The importance of the canal as a shipping route decreased more and more. After the Second World War, skippers increasingly objected to the transport of freight via the narrow and shallow canal to Ommen. Despite dredging in the 1950s, it was closed to shipping in 1964. Since then, the canal has once again served to drain the area. The harbour in Ommen and the route along the Rotbrink were filled in in the mid-1960s. From the Balkerweg a new route was dug along the west side of Ommen to the Vecht. In Dedemsvaart a new route was dug east of the old canal, which was extended further via a route north of the village to Lutten. At Slagharen the Lutterhoofdwijk connects to the Ommerkanaal.