The focus of the Dutch Water Policy for the 21st century is to make room for the river. Making room for rivers means controlled storage of excess water in reservoirs that are created in urban and rural areas, during periods of high water levels. This prevents flooding problems in other lower situated areas. This is not an easy message for a country that for centuries succeeded in keeping the water outside.

The climate is changing and this has consequences for all of The Netherlands. Simply said, we have to take into account higher temperatures and more rain, especially during wintertime. This means higher waterlevels in rivers and channels. Climate change also causes a rise in sealevel, in in this century about 85 cm.

Room for the river
Our river area has had to deal with two substantial cases of high water, in 1993 and 1995. Especially in 1995 the rivers had risen so high that dike breaches were feared. Eventually the dikes were strong enough, but the unfortunate events were the reason to search for solutions to improve the protection of the Netherlands. Read more on Room for the River...