Go-ahead for Rijkswaterstaat's largest flood water storage in lake Volkerak, the Netherlands
The Dutch ministry of Infrastructure and Environment has given its public work department, Rijkswaterstaat, the go-ahead for a comprehensive package of measures to be able to store some 200 million cubic meter flood water from the rivers Rhine and Meuse in lake Volkerak.
On the rare occasion of a high tide on the North Sea in combination with high discharges on the rivers Rhine and Meuse, Rijkswaterstaat can - when the project is finished - temporarily store flood water in lake Volkerak, dropping the water levels on the rivers with 0,5 m.
This event has a possible occurrence of once in 1,400 years.
Rijkswaterstaat can now start redesigning the dikes and sluices in and around the lake and as off 2016 lake Volkerak is expected to be ready for use.
To enable the storage of flood water the dikes around lake Volkerak will be strengthened
Largest flood water storage
The new flood water storage will be the largest in the Netherlands. The intake of 200 million extra flood water, will increase the water level in the lake with 2,3 m.
Therefore the revetments of many dikes have to be renewed and the stability to be improved.
Some locks have to be renewed and mobile pumps are needed to pump out the additional seepage water behind the dikes.
In case of high tide on the North Sea (left) in combination with a high river discharge (right) lake Volkerak (red) can be used to store flood water.
National flood prevention plan
The project is part of Rijkswaterstaat's national river programme Room for the River.
This programme comprises 30 projects mainly along the river Rhine, Netherland's largest river.
On all locations the river Rhine will be given more space, increasing its discharge capacity from 15,000 m3/s to 16.000 m3/s.
As an effect the flood levels will lowered and the dikes along the Rhine need not to be raised.
The Room for the River programme has two objectives. It raises the flood protection but the projects will improve the spatial quality as well, making the river also economic and environmental more vital.
The Room for the River programme will cost 2,3 billion euro and most projects will be completed by 2015.
More Room for the River projects on this website:
- Boskalis contracted for Dutch Room for the River project at Veessen-Wapenveld, the Netherlands, 4 July 2013
- Groundbreaking ceremony biggest Room for the River project: a 3 km long side-channel, 24 January 2013
- Room for the river: First dairy farmer moves to new farm on 6 m high mound in Overdiepse polder, 11 Augustus 2012
- New 'tap' splits Rhine high water with great accuracy over two rivers, 31 January 2012
More information
Rijkswaterstaat
c/o Room for the river project management
Utrecht, the Netherlands
+31 88 797 2900
www.roomfortheriver.nl
Corporate clip of the programme Room for the River, explaining the objectives and the 30 projects along the river Rhine.