Room for the River Dutch Water Programme Information

Safety for four million people in the Dutch delta Dutch Water Program Room for the River

Facts and figures The water in the rivers reached extremely high levels in 1993 and 1995. 250,000 people had to be evacuated in 1995.

Budget € 2.3 billion

Planning Start: 2007 Completion: 2015

Current maximum discharge capacity 15,000 m3/sec

Discharge capacity on completion Work in progress lowering groynes 16,000 m3/sec The Netherlands has a population of over order to protect those areas that need to be 16 million in an area (including the territorial defended. By 2015, through a series of more sea and surface water) of just 41,528 km2. than 30 measures, costing 2,3 billion euro, we The Netherlands lies in a delta, which enables will have lowered and broadened our flood three major rivers: the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt, plain and created river diversions and temporary to flow out to sea. Without dikes and coastal water storage areas. We will restore marshy dunes, around two thirds of the Netherlands riverine landscapes to serve once again as natural would be flooded. Flood protection is therefore ‘water storage’ sponges and provide biodiversity a very high priority in water management for and aesthetic and recreational values. the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. Local and global Provinces, municipalities, water boards and Rijks The cadence of Dutch history is marked by waterstaat are cooperating in the implementation floods and the response to them. In 1993 and of the Room for the River Program. The Minister 1995, the Dutch rivers swelled to unprecedented of Infrastructure and the Environment bears levels. Large tracts of farmland were inundated; the overall responsibility for the Program. Also 250,000 people were evacuated. 250,000 internationally Room for the River collaborates people and one million head of livestock were with its neighbour countries. The countries evacuated. As a consequence, the Dutch through which the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt government took measures to protect the rivers flow, cooperate closely on flood protection. rivers region against flooding. The approach, These countries are The Netherlands, Belgium, ‘Room for the River’, was born. France and Germany. Room for the River also shares this experience with other countries all Natural flood plain restored over the world, and highly values the experience Room for the River, the implementation of obtained from these international exchanges. which started in 2007, restores the river’s natural flood plain in places where it is least harmful in ZOMERBEDVERLAGING BENEDEN-IJSSEL

KETELMEER DIJKVERLEGGING WESTENHOLTE MARKERMEER Kampen

Zwolle Lelystad UITERWAARDVERGRAVING SCHELLER EN OLDENELER BUITENWAARDEN IJSSEL

HOOGWATERGEUL VEESSEN-WAPENVELD

Haarlem Almere Amsterdam UITERWAARDVERGRAVING UITERWAARDVERGRAVING BOLWERKSPLAS, WORP EN KEIZERS-, STOBBEN- EN OSSENWAARD OLSTERWAARDEN DIJKVERBETERING LEK / BETUWE / TIELER- Deventer EN CULEMBORGERWAARD Hilversum UITERWAARDVERGRAVING DIJKVERLEGGING Apeldoorn DE TOLLEWAARD VOORSTERKLEI Amersfoort UITERWAARDVERGRAVING Leiden UITERWAARDVERGRAVING OBSTAKELVERWIJDERING DOORWERTHSCHE WAARDEN BOSSENWAARD, PONTWAARD Zutphen MACHINISTENSCHOOL ELST DIJKVERLEGGING EN HEERENWAARD UITERWAARDVERGRAVING CORTENOEVER MIDDELWAARD UITERWAARD- DIJKVERBETERING Utrecht VERGRAVING DIJKVERBETERING DIJKVERBETERING LEK / ALBLASSERWAARD MEINERSWIJK Den Haag NEDERRIJN / NEDERRIJN / ARNHEMSE- EN VIJFHEERENLANDEN GELDERSCHE EN VELPSEBROEK VALLEI DIJKVERLEGGING DIJKVERBETERING Velp HONDSBROEKSCHE PLEIJ NIEUWE W LEK / LOPIKER- EN NEDERRIJN KRIMPENERWAARD UITERWAARDVERGRAVING ATERWEG LEK Arnhem Culemborg PA HUISSENSCHE WAARDEN Rotterdam NNERDENSCH KANAAL NIEUWE MAAS UITERWAARDVERGRAVING UITERWAARDVERGRAVING Tiel AVELINGEN UITERWAARDVERGRAVING MILLINGERWAARD DIJKVERBETERING WAAL NOORD MUNNIKENLAND OUDE MAAS / VOORNE PUTTEN ONTPOLDERING BOVEN-RIJN KRIBVERLAGING OUDE MAAS NOORDWAARD KRIBVERLAGING BENEDEN-WAAL Nijmegen MERWEDE MIDDEN-WAAL OBSTAKELVERWIJDERING Dordrecht HARINGVLIET SPUI SUIKERDAM / GENDTSE WAARD DIJKVERBETERING DIJKTERUGLEGGING TEUR- S LENT GAT STEURGAT / KRIBVERLAGING NIEUWE KRIBVERLAGING MERWEDE LAND VAN ALTENA WAALBOCHTEN

DIJKVERBETERING D ORDTSCHE K IL WAAL FORT ST. ANDRIES HOLLANDSCH OUDE MAAS / HOEKSCHE WAARD DIEP DIJKVERBETERING AMER BERGSCHE MAAS ’s-Hertogenbosch NEDERRIJN / BETUWE / KRAMMER/ TIELER- EN CULEMBORGERWAARD VOLKERAK KADEVERLAGING current projects ZUIDERKLIP RIVIERVERRUIMING OVERDIEPSE POLDER KADEVERLAGING WATERBERGING BIESBOSCH additional reduction VOLKERAK-ZOOMMEER DIJKVERBETERING DIJKVERBETERING achieved in water levels AMER / DONGE BERGSCHE MAAS / for neighbouring projects LAND VAN ALTENA means implementation ZOOMMEER no longer required Bergen op Zoom

Eindhoven

How we are making room for the river

Deepening summer bed Water storage Dike relocation The river bed is deepened by excavating the The Volkerak-Zoommeer lake provides for Relocating a dike land inwards increases surface layer of the river bed. The deepened temporary water storage when exceptional the width of the floodplains and provides river bed provides more room for the river conditions result in the combination of a more room for the river. closed storm surge barrier and high river discharges to the sea.

Strengthening dikes High-water channel Lowering of floodplains Dikes are strengthened in areas in which A high-water channel is a diked area Lowering (excavating) an area of the creating more room for the river is not that branches off from the main river floodplain increases the room for the river an option to discharge some of the water via during high water levels. a separate route.

Lowering groynes Depoldering Removing obstacles Groynes stabilise the location of the river The dike on the river side of a polder is Removing or modifying obstacles in and ensure that the river remains at the relocated land inwards and water can flow the river bed where possible, or modifying correct depth. However, at high water levels into the polder at high water levels. them, increases the flow rate of the water groynes can form an obstruction to the flow in the river. of water in the river. Lowering groynes increases the flow rate of the water in the river.