Watermanagement in the Netherlands Past, Present

and Future

Ruud Staverman Rijkswaterstaat

The Netherlands:The Netherlands:Population: Population: 16 million inhabitantsArea: 41.526 km2

The Netherlands:The Netherlands:Population: Population: 16 million inhabitants Area: 41.526 km2 = US States Vermont + New Hampshire (1.8 million)

7000 Bc 5500 Bc

Precipitation and Precipitation and evapotranspirationevapotranspiration

DUITSLAND

OOSTENRIJK

ZW ITSERLAND

FRANKRIJK

BELGIE

LUX EM B URG

ITALIE

Saar

L

Legenda

R ijn

M aas

S ch elde

E em s

an de re

Kaartvervaardig ing: Rijkswaterstaat, Meetkundige Dienst © 1998

Leda

Hase

Eems

Dalke

Lippe

Maas

Maas

Maas

Rijn

Rijn

Rijn

Rijn

IJssel

Vecht

Rurh

Sieg

Moezel

Moezel

Nahe

Lahn

Main

Neckar

Meurthe

Ill

Aare

Sambre

Schelde

Schelde

Leie

The Netherlands:

a Delta of 4 international rivers

Past: A constant fight against the water

Amsterdam Haarlem

St Elisabeth flood of 1421

Alblasserwaard

Reclamation in the 17th Century

Drainage by windmills

Several floods

Rijkswaterstaat Centre for Watermanagement

Landreclamation in the 20th century

Storm disaster of February 1st, 1953

Flooded area in 1953, 1800 casualties

FLOODED

The Deltaworks

Maeslantkering

Present: the Vulnerability for flooding

the “(pair of) scissors”: Subsidence and Sea level rise

Past Present, Future

Will this be the future?Dike

Increase of water discharge

Water level compared to the surface level

Soil subsidence

= Zero level

Rijkswaterstaat Centre for Watermanagement

Present and future: Urban development, the need for housing

What future to anticipate on?

Sea level rise:• 2050: + 0.4 m• 2100: + 0.65 - 1.30 m• 2200: + 2 - 4 m

Climate change (1):

• Seawater expands + ice melts: sealevel rises

• Period of heavy rainfall: damage• Rivers discharge more water in the winter

period

Result: Increase risks of flooding

Climate change (2)

• Extreme droughts in summer: damage in agriculture, low waters: inland navigation, and additional soil subsidence

• Salt intrusion from the sea:– Problems with intake of drinking water– Damage for agriculture and industries

• Higher temperature of riverwater: Cooling problems for power plants

Future River discharges:Summer:

1700 m3/s

700 m3/s in 2100

Winter:

16.000 m3/s 18.000 m3/s in

2100

R 3 29 4 E 0 00 41 8 n

dike groyne em bankm ent

flood plain navigation channel

R3294 E000418n

Room forthe Rhine branches

The high waters of 1993 and 1995 lead to the implementation of Delta (major rivers) plan

Future:• We stay in the (floodprone) part of the

Netherlands, • Solidarity among inhabitants and generations• Work with natural processes “building with

nature”

Your solutions:• Rivers?• North Sea coast?• IJsselmeer area?

?Rivers ?

Rivers: De-poldering

Building houses on raised platforms /mounds along the dike

Overdiepsepolder

Rivers: Dike relocation

Hondsbroekse Pleij

Rivers

• ‘Room for the River’

• Land aquisition on strategic locations

• International catchmentwise cooperation

A Deltaplan for the large rivers

39 Measures, until 2015

?

North Sea coast ?

North Sea Coast: Nourishment works, Follow the sealevel rise

strandsuppletie

onderwater suppletie

North Sea Coast: Building with Nature, use sand from the Sea

?

IJsselmeer area ?

IJsselmeer area

• IJsselmeer remains strategic fresh water reservoir

• Water level IJsselmeer rises with sea level, up to 1.5 m above present free discharge

• Water level Markermeer remains unchanged

Costs:< 2050:

1,2 tot 1,6 billion euro /yr

2050 – 2100:

0,9 tot 1,5 billion euro /yr

Beach nourishment for coastal land reclamation: 0.1 – 0.3 billion euro/yr

The End

Thank you for your attention