Water Management River bed management in the Nieuwe Merwede A.M. Ruijmschoot1,2, M.S. Krol1, C.M. Dohmen-Janssen1, J.S. Ribberink1, R.H. Buijsrogge1, G.W.R. Gerrits2 1 University of Twente, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Postbus 217, Enschede; (
[email protected]) 2 Royal Haskoning, Barbarossastraat 35, 6522 DK Nijmegen Abstract Goal & method study Integrated solutions to the problems posed by The findings of this study consist of robust the inheritance of contaminated sediments in alternative measures for sediment-remediation the Dutch lowland-rivers are available, yet (clean-up) and management of the river bed expensive. In this study, measures are tested until 2037, with the influence of climate change for the Nieuwe Merwede. Due to a trend of taken into account. The applied method is clean sedimentation which will cover the shown in Fig. 2. contaminated layer, dredging the top layer (50 cm) of contaminated areas will minimize the possibility that erosion of contaminated sediments can occur in future. Even when combined with maintenance dredging of the shipping channel, currently contaminated layers will stay in place. This is not the case if the shipping channel is deepened further than the maintenance depth. Climate change does Figure 2: Research method does not affect these conclusions. Objectives alternatives Introduction Long-term policy defined in national and For years the large volumes of severely European laws provide a basis on which the contaminated sediment deposits in the objectives for river bed management lowland-rivers have been a practically alternatives are designed for 30 years: insolvable problem for Dutch water managers.