Lessons from 1200 Years' Irnpoldering in the Netherlands
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Proceedings of the International Symposium on Shal/ow Sea and Low Land/Saga/oct. 1988 Lessons from 1200 years' irnpoldering in the Netherlands P. Ankurn, K. Koga and W. A. Segeren Faculty of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands J. Luijendijk International Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering,Delft, the Netherlands ABSTRACT: Polder development faced many problems in the past, but most of these problems were solved by many studies and research activities during the recent reelamatien of the IJsselmeer polders, such as: design of the drainage system, "soil-ripening" of the soft mud, management of the land reclamat\on through state farms. 1. INTRODUCTION and an additional 10.00 m for wave run-up. The Netherlands is a small country The geological profil• in the lower ~art (34,000 km2) located in the delta and the of the Netherlands is formed of a 20 m former flood plains of the Rhine (160,000 toplayer of clay and/or peat on a thick km2), Heuse (33,000 km2) and Scheldt ri sand layer. The groundwater is brackish or vers. saline, so seepage water is often brack A quarter of the land is situated below ish. Normally seepage amounts to less than the mean sea level, with elevations to 1 mm/day, but there are exceptions of upto about 5 m below mean sea level. In absence 20 mm/day. of dikes, 65\ of the country would be flooded at high sea and river levels. The country bas almost 15 million in 2. HlSTORY OF POLDER DEVELOPMENT habitants (450 per km2), with most of the population in the low-lying western part 2.1 Early development (900 inhabitants per km2). Some two thousand years ago, the major The Netherlands bas a cool maritime eli part (20,000 km2) of the Netherlands con mate with a mean annual rainfall of 775 mm sisted of lagoon and delta type areas, and and a mean annual (open-water) evaporation flooded during high water levels of the of 700 mm. North Sea and of the rivers, see also. The rainfall is evenly distributed over Figure 1. the year, but the open-water evaporation Bebind the coastal dunes, large areas varies from 0 mm/day in the winter, upto 5 with peat-forming vegetations existed mm/day in the summer. Generally, there is together with reedmarshes and marsh fo a rainfall surplus of some 300 mm in the rests. Along the rivers, forests on nu winter, and an average deficit of 120 mm trient rich alluvial soils existed, as in the summer. well as marsh forests and reed marshes The average temperature in the summer downstream. months reaches upto 17 °C, in the winter The people, mainly fishermen and hun months around 2 °C. ters, lived on the natural levees of the rivers. The sea tide in the North Sea differs in amplitude along the coast, with the maxi Proteetion works against the water star mum average tide in the Southern part of ted around 300 BC by constructing artifi +2.00 m and -2.00 m around mean sea level. cial dwelling mounds. However, the maximum sea levels during Construction of small di es along rivers storms are much higher and the sea dikes was started around 100 · BC under influence are presently designed for sea levels of of the technica! and organizatorial power +5.00 m (return period of 1:10,000 years) of the Romans. - 95 - r 1532 and was foliowed by the empoldering ged to other land uses: in the Flevoland of many other lakes: 3,000 ha during the polders even good soils were allocated for 16th century, 28,000 ha during 17th cen recreation and urban development (Lelystad tury, 25,000 ha during the 18th century, and Almere for at least 100,000 inhabi North Sea North Sea 52,000 ha during 19th century, and 2,000 tants each). ha in the 20th century. Vieringeneer polder The empoldering of the Haarlemmermeer (18,000 ha, see also Figure 2) in 1852 was 3. EXPERIENCES IN THE NETHERLANDS a break-through towards modern empoldering techniques to be used for the IJsselmeer 3.1 Introduetion polders. Here, the 4 m deep polder was reclaimed by using steam engine driven The polder development in the Nether pumping stations. lands started as private initiatives in the early days when no gavernaent ergani zation existed. Later in the 16th and 17th 2.5 Empoldering of IJsselmeer polders century, the polder development was under taken by merchants on a commercial basis. The IJssel lake ("IJsselmeer") polders are located in a shallow inlet of the The polder development of the Haarlem North Sea, and was formerly called "Zuider mermeer in 1852 was undertaken with the Sea", see also Figure 2. main purpose to proteet Amsterdam against First plans of closing the Zuider Sea bank erosion by waves. Its agricultural ~ tldal marshes - reclalmed lakes from the North Sea dates back to 1667. It development was not very successful during would eliminate stormtloods and saliniza the first generations, because was it done ~ peatland § cosstal lowlands · tion of the heart of the country. The by individual farmers without support on I22Z:J flood plalns first plan for reclaiming parts of the technica! know-how, research, finance and Zuider Sea dates from 1849 and was fol- organization by the govecnment. Figure 1. The Netherlands 2000 years ago Figu~e 2. The Netherlands at present lowed by many other plans. The polder development in the 20th cen The first IJsselmeer polder, Andijk tury was undertaken by the government, who polder of 30 ha, was constructed as an set up the IJsselmeer Development Autho 2.2 Empoldering of "old land" 2.3 Empoldering of coastal areas experimental polder to gain experience rity ("RIJP") in 1930. About one fourth of with the land reelamatien techniques on the employees of the IJsselmeer Develop It is estimated that the first polders The reelamatien of coastal areas started the Zuider Sea bed deposits. ment Authority are working in the research were constructed in the eighth century. around 1200 AD. Tidal forelands and is divisions. These polders were remnants of old land lands, silted up to about high tide level The Wieringermeer polder became dry in Initially, the research was limited to lost to the sea in bistorical times. were reclaimed from the sea. 1930 and its land development was com soils, water management and agriculture, The polders had elevations at around mean Generally, the soils are loamy and have pleted by 1940. The reelamatien of the but was gradually extended to a wider high-tide level and were originally used groundwatP.r levels of 1 - 2 m below sur 20,000 ha of salty saturated sediments scope, including research on biology, for the growth of cereals at a low ground face. The land use is predominantly ara learned much on the ripening process of environment, rural and urban development, water table. ble, with potatoes and sugarbeet as main soft muds. archeology, economy. However, the major part of the first erop. polders were "peat" polders, consisting of With the construction of a 30 km long Sub-surface drainage machines, such as peat soils overlaying mainly loamy or harrier dam with sluices in 1932, the trench cutters, trench ploughs, wheel and clayey soils. Reclaimed peat soils oxydate 2.4 Empoldering of lakes IJsselmeer was formed by closing off salt chain diggers for sub-surface drains were and shrink after the groundwater table was water entrance from the North Sea. Within developed during the reclaaation of the lowered. The terrain subsided gradually The Netherlands in its early days was a few years the IJsselmeer became a fresh IJsselmeer polders. and the water management conditions in the not only characterized by land of just water lake. The Wieringermeer polder was developed polders deteriorated. Therefore, the above sea level, but also by numerous by manual hand labour, which involved 200 groundwater table was kept as high as pos lakes. These lakes were some 4 m deep and The North-East polder (48,000 ha) was manhour per km for trenches and 180 man sible, thus allowing only grass cultiva extended gradually because the soft banks reclaimed from 1942 to 1962. hour per km for subsurface drains. This tion for cattle. of peat were either excavated by the po The Flevoland polder was split for deve was reduced for the Flevoland polders to 3 pulation for their fuel, or were eroded by lopment into two sub-polders: the Eastern manhour per km for trenches and 12 manhour These first polders drained their water the attack of the waves on the lakes. Flevoland polder (54,000 ha) was reclaimed per km for subsurface drains due to the by gravity through simple sluices into an from 1957 to 1976, and the Southern Flevo machines. internal channel system with a water level The application of the windmills made it land polder (43,000 ha) from 1968 to date. of ± 0.50 m below mean sea level. The possible to reclaim the land in these Besides the mechanization, there was channel system discharged also by gravity lakes and to use the fertile clay soils The Markerwaard (41,000 ha) is awaiting also a development in subsurface drainage into the sea during low tide. suitable for cereal production. financing of around one billion US dollars pipes: from clay pipes with straw enve in 1988-prices. lopes, to corrugated pvc pipes with cocos The first lake (Achtermeer, 35 ha, near envelopes or even without any envelopes. Alkmaar) was successfully empoldered in Agricultural development was of prime importance in the first polders, but chan- The scope of the IJsselmeer Development - 96 - - 97- .