www.roomfortheriver.com

Facts and figuresThe water in the rivers reached extremely high levels in 1993 and 1995. 250,000 people and one million head of livestock had to be evacuated in 1995.

Budget€ 2.3 billion

PlanningStart 2007 Completion 2013-2019

Current maximum discharge capacity 15,000 m3/secDischarge capacity on completion 16,000 m3/sec

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and more than half of it is below sea level. Flood protection is therefore a very high priority for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment within the compass of water management.

The cadence of Dutch history has been punctuated by sea floods and the responses to these. For the most part the danger stemmed from the sea. In 1993 and 1995, however, flooding hit the Netherlands from behind its defences. The Dutch rivers swelled to unprecedented levels, with nigh on catastrophic results. In 1995 large tracts of farmland were inundated. 250,000 people and one million head of livestock were evacuated.

As a consequence, the Dutch government implemented anti-flooding measures in the region of the rivers. The ‘Room for the River’ approach was born.

Natural floodplain restoredRoom for the River restores the river’s natural floodplain in places where it is least harmful in order to protect those areas that need to be defended. In a few years, by means of a series of more than 30 measures, we will have lowered and broadened our floodplain and created river diversions and temporary water storage areas. We will restore marshy riverine landscapes to serve once again as natural ‘water storage’ sponges and to safeguard biodiversity and aesthetic and recreational values.

Local and globalProvinces, municipalities, regional water authorities and Rijkswaterstaat are cooperating on the implementation of the Room for the River Programme. Furthermore, within the compass of the Room for the River programme there is close collaboration at international level on flood protection.

Keeping one step ahead of disastersThe Afsluitdijk, the Delta Works, Room for the River – all of these flood defence projects have been reactive in nature, responding to specific threats. In the opinion of the Dutch government this needs to change. The Netherlands would like to be one step ahead of disasters, implementing measures in a timely fashion. This is being effectuated by means of the Delta Programme, which sees the country preparing itself for climate change in the lead up to the year 2100.

Dutch Water ProgrammeRoom for the River

Safety for four million people in the Dutch delta

#Arjo KleinhuisWork in the floodplains along the river IJssel

www.roomfortheriver.com

ZOOMMEER

NIEUWE W

ATERWEG NIEUWE MAAS

PANNERDENSCH

KANAAL

IJSSEL

BOVEN-RIJN

WAAL

NEDERRIJN

LEKN

IEUW

E M

ERW

EDE

STEU

R-

GAT

MERWEDE

NO

ORD

DO

RD

TSC

HE

KIL

SPUI

OUDE MAAS

MARKERMEER

KETELMEER

BERGSCHE MAAS

AMER

HOLLANDSCHDIEP

KRAMMER /VOLKERAK

HARINGVLIET

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONKEIZERS-, STOBBEN-AND OLSTERWAARDEN

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONSCHELLER AND OLDENELER BUITENWAARDEN

DYKE RELOCATIONWESTENHOLTE

FLOOD CHANNELVEESSEN-WAPENVELD

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONBOLWERKSPLAS, WORP AND OSSENWAARD

DYKE RELOCATIONVOORSTERKLEI

DYKE REINFORCEMENTNEDERRIJN / ARNHEMSEBROEK AND VELPSEBROEK

RIVER WIDENINGHUISSENSCHE WAARDEN

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONMILLINGERWAARD

REMOVAL OF OBSTACLES SUIKERDAM / GENDTSE WAARD

LOWERING OF GROYNESWAAL

DYKE RELOCATIONHONDSBROEKSCHE PLEIJ

DYKE RELOCATIONLENT

LOWERING OF GROYNESWAAL FORT ST. ANDRIES

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONMUNNIKENLAND

RIVER WIDENINGOVERDIEPSE POLDER

DYKE REINFORCEMENTBERGSCHE MAAS /LAND VAN ALTENA

LOWERING OF QUAYZUIDERKLIP

LOWERING OF QUAYBIESBOSCHWATER STORAGE

VOLKERAK-ZOOMMEER

DYKE REINFORCEMENTOUDE MAAS / VOORNE PUTTEN

DYKE REINFORCEMENTOUDE MAAS / HOEKSCHE WAARD

DYKE REINFORCEMENTLEK / LOPIKERWAARD ANDKRIMPENERWAARD

DYKE REINFORCEMENTAMER / DONGE

DYKE REINFORCEMENTSTEURGAT /LAND VAN ALTENA

DEPOLDERINGNOORDWAARD

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONAVELINGEN

LOWERING OFGROYNES WAAL

DYKE REINFORCEMENTLEK / BETUWE / TIELERWAARDAND CULEMBORGERWAARD

DYKE REINFORCEMENTLEK / ALBLASSERWAARDAND VIJFHEERENLANDEN

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONBOSSENWAARD, PONTWAARD AND HEERENWAARD

REMOVAL OF OBSTACLESELST

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONDE TOLLEWAARD

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONMIDDELWAARD

DYKE REINFORCEMENTNEDERRIJN /GELDERSCHE VALLEI

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONDOORWERTHSCHE WAARDEN

FLOOD PLAIN EXCAVATIONMEINERSWIJK

DYKE REINFORCEMENTNEDERRIJN / BETUWE / TIELERWAARDAND CULEMBORGERWAARD

LOWERING OF GROYNESMID WAAL

DYKE RELOCATIONCORTENOEVER

ROOM FOR THE RIVERIJSSELDELTA

Zwolle

Kampen

Deventer

Apeldoorn

Tiel

Utrecht

Amersfoort

Hilversum

Amsterdam

Almere

Lelystad

Haarlem

Culemborg

Nijmegen

’s-Hertogenbosch

Eindhoven

Rotterdam

Den Haag

Leiden

Dordrecht

Bergen op Zoom

Zutphen

Velp

Arnhem

ROOM FOR THE RIVER | DUTCH WATER PROGRAMME ROOM FOR THE RIVER

How we are making room for the river

current projects

additional reduction achieved in water levels for neighbouring projects means implementation no longer required

Deepening summer bedThe river bed is deepened by excavating the surface layer of the river bed. The deepened river bed provides more room for the river.

Strengthening dykesDykes are strengthened in areas in which creating more room for the river is not an option.

Lowering groynesGroynes stabilise the location of the river and ensure that the river remains at the correct depth. However, at high water levels groynes can form an obstruction to the flow of water in the river. Lowering groynes increases the flow rate of the water in the river.

Water storageThe Volkerak-Zoommeer lake provides for temporary water storage when exceptional conditions result in the combination of a closed storm surge barrier and high river discharges to the sea.

High-water channelA high-water channel is a dyked area that branches off from the main river to discharge some of the water via a separate route.

DepolderingThe dyke on the river side of a polder is relocated land inwards and water can flow into the polder at high water levels.

Dyke relocationRelocating a dyke land inwards increases the width of the floodplains and provides more room for the river.

Lowering of floodplainsLowering (excavating) an area of the floodplain increases the room for the river during high water levels.

Removing obstaclesRemoving or modifying obstacles in the river bed where possible, or modifying them, increases the flow rate of the water in the river.