Best Practices
Catching Sludge Outside the Dykes
Part of:
Eemsdelta Area
Eemsdelta Area
The Eems-Dollard is a large natural estuary in which the river Eems flows from Germany into the Waddensea. Over the years, this area struggles with large quantities of sludge, which is sinking less and less well.
As a result, the water has become murky and sometimes almost muddy. The ecological impact is huge. Sludge limits the amount of sunlight in the water, making algae grow less well and also affecting the rest of the food chain. Moreover, the sludge damages ecosystems and natural passages along the edges of the Eems-Dollard.
This project is experimenting on a large scale with different ways of collecting sludge. If successful, this can be applied throughout the entire estuary. Catching sludge will improve water quality, restore natural areas in and around the Ems-Dollard and better protect the area against high water. Coastal management in this way, mainly tries to give nature a boost and enable it to deal with the consequences of climate change itself. The starting point is to achieve big effects with minimal intervention.
This project is experimenting on a large scale with different ways of collecting sludge. If successful, this can be applied throughout the entire estuary. Catching sludge will improve water quality, restore natural areas in and around the Ems-Dollard and better protect the area against high water. Coastal management in this way, mainly tries to give nature a boost and enable it to deal with the consequences of climate change itself. The starting point is to achieve big effects with minimal intervention.
Eemsdelta Area
The Netherlands is located in a delta. It is a low-lying country, partially under sea level. The Dutch are used to struggle with water, some say it is the core of our identity. Worldwide we are known as dyke builders, engineers and megalomaniac miracle workers. But now climate change is speeding up, we are forced to seek for other solutions besides the technical, ingenious ones. Intense human usage of coastal areas, for example through dam construction, is placing pressures on coastal ecosystem functions. As a result, these areas face more problems than just sea level rise: the loss of plant and animal species, the silting of waters and the reduction of water quality. Little by little we realise that coastal defences should be engineered through ecosystem creation and restoration on a large scale, providing more environmentally sound coastal protection than conventional engineering. The Eemsdelta is full of ideas that show how this coastal management 2.0 works. They prove that when it comes to our coastal protection, we still work miracles.
Best practices in
Eemsdelta Area
Eemsdelta Area
The Eems-Dollard is a large natural estuary in which the river Eems flows from Germany into the Waddensea. Over the years, this area struggles with large quantities of sludge, which is sinking less and less well.
Sea levels are rising rapidly. Requiring us to think of different ways to protect our coastal zones. The Twin Dyke is such an innovative project, developed as an alternative to the standard dike reinforcement.
The basic principle of the Rich Dike is to create a more natural transition between dike and water, creating more possibilities for nature.
Dike reinforcement is of utmost importance in the Netherlands to prepare for the changing climate. Given the costs of this process, there’s an ongoing search for innovative ways to reinforce dykes.
In the Middle Ages, the port city of Delfzijl took a strategic position between the city of Groningen and the open sea. After the Second World War, the city industrialized as part of the desired national economic development. The port was relocated and the city centre lost its direct connection to the Wadden Sea.
The region around Delfzijl has been quite dynamic in the past few years. Sea levels are rising, causing salinisation. Biodiversity is declining due to the silting of the Eems delta and the surrounding area is declining due to peat oxidation.
Sea level rise requires us to think differently. Instead of a static, defensive posture against water it is better to move with it.
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