The Biesbosch, the Hollandsch Diep and the Haringvliet, together contain 10 million m³ contaminated dredge that has to be removed. This amount is comparable to a layer with a thickness of 1 meter, spread over 2000 soccer fields.  Experiments are developed to see if microbes can break down the polluted slurry and if it is possible to extract building materials. 

The Netherlands have to deal with a surplus of 85 million m3 of dredging material. In the future this surplus will most probably grow. An innovative plan is developed to use the dredging material for the construction of 'terpen'. These terpen are elevated areas in a water landscape where people can live safe from floods. The advantages of this solution are: it is sustainable and safe, space is used in multiple ways, it is cost effective, and a typical old Dutch landscape icon has been restored. This is a perfect example of how dredging can continue in a sustainable way. In the picture below a cross-section of a terp is shown, with under the green grass layer, a layer of dredging material. Below the dredging material a layer of geotextile is installed, just above the groundwater level.

  

Reused - Promotes the remediation and recycling of contaminated sediments of European waters, and stands for Remediation, Recycling and Reuse of EUropean SEDiments

The Dutch expertise in dredging consists of dredging under difficult circumstances and the ability to live up to the stringent environmental and implementation stipulations. Next to projects such as the terpen, this is shown in international projects such as the Palm Tree and World Map islands in Dubai.