Delta flume trial#

Furthermore, the hydrodynamics of estuaries and the associated services are also being influenced by the impacts of climate change, including induced mean sea level rise, alterations in freshwater input, saltwater intrusion and an increase in air and water temperature.The rapid degradation of estuarine ecosystems underscores the necessity for the development and implementation of comprehensive and intensive monitoring methods and tools capable of predicting their natural evolution, as well as assessing the impacts of escalating climate and anthropogenic threats. These alterations directly impact hydrodynamic conditions (e.g., current velocity, flooding patterns, residence time, salinity intrusion, etc.), posing a threat to numerous species that may not be able to adapt to survive in different conditions. The major threats to estuaries include the discharge of pollutants and nutrients, which impairs water quality, and changes in geomorphology (e.g., channels dredging, construction of dams and hydraulic structures). However, these activities are recognised to unbalance the ecosystem functioning and sustainability. A dyke made of clay from our clay ripeners near Delzfijl is currently being tested in the Delta Flume of Deltares.You just subscribed to receive the final version of the articleĪddition to being highly productive and sustaining a rich biodiversity, they also provide highly favourable conditions for the establishment of human settlements and the development of socio-economic activities. The Flood Protection Program is the main funder and advises on the research. Advice is provided by the Clay Ripener project group led by the Province of Groningen, the workgroup for dyke improvement with locally sourced clay (POV-DGG), and Wetterskip Fryslân. The EcoShape partners Deltares, van Oord and Boskalis support and carry out the research. Water authority Hunze en Aa’s is the initiator of the research. With the knowledge we gain here, we can design solutions to circularly use the excess sediment to improve flood safety and restore water quality at the same time’. In some of these locations dyke reinforcement is also needed.

This negatively affects water quality and biodiversity. Luca Sittoni, programme manager at EcoShape and Deltares: ‘In many parts of the world, coasts, shores, lakes and rivers have to deal with excess sediment. If we can construct some of the dykes with locally extracted clay from sludge, it will make a huge difference in costs, in environmental impact and in nuisance caused by transport of clay from afar.” Erik Wagener, director of the Flood Protection Program: “We are working in a unique collaboration between the government and the 21 water boards on the largest dyke improvement operation since the Delta Works: the reinforcement of at least 1,300 kilometres of dyke and 500 locks and pumping stations.

Delta flume trial#

If the trial is successful, it will be of great benefit to the total dyke reinforcement task for the rest of the Netherlands. The entire study will be completed in 2022.

The results will also increase the predictability and applicability of locally extracted dyke material in the Netherlands and abroad. With the results from this trial, the water authority can improve the design of the Broad Green Dyke, assuring its safety. It is reinforced with clay obtained from salty dredge sediments that have ripened (dried) in only three years. The Broad Green Dyke is a dyke with a gentler slope than standard dykes. Water authority Hunze en Aa’s intends to use this clay to strengthen the seawall in the North of the Netherlands near the German border into a so-called Broad Green Dyke, contributing to key societal ambitions such as flood safety, climate adaptation, circularity and water quality. The tests are part of an extensive study to verify the safety of a dyke reinforced with clay ripened from locally available dredge sediment. A full-size cross-section of the dyke has been constructed in the flume and is being subjected to the conditions of a super storm. Home / News / Dyke of Ripened Clay Tested in Delta FlumeĪ dyke made of the clay from our clay ripeners near Delfzijl is currently being tested in the Delta Flume of Deltares.