Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Climate change, flood protection and rehabilitation along the River Rhine
Human impacts on the Rhine Environment and bank protection (1982) Rhine Action Programme (1987) Plan Stork (1985), Living Rivers (1992) Floods in Europe (1990s), Prospected climate change Water Management of the 21st century (2000), Room for Rivers (2000) EU Water Framework Directive (2000) Pilot projects and Reference studies
The Rhine
River Rhine
River Meuse
The Rhine
Length 1320 km Catchment basin 185 000 km2, (25 000 km2 in the Netherlands) Discharge (Lobith): 2300 m3/s (620 11 885 m3/s) Nine countries: CH, FL, I, A, D, F, LUX, B, NL Population 50 million Major navigation route
River normalisation
River engineering
Bank condition
300 million ton / year 65% of transported tonnage betweenNetherlands and Germany
Industrial pollution
Successful sanitation
160 140 120
mg/l 2
Oxygen concentration
at Lobith
Phosphorus concentration
Rhine at Lobith
100 % 80 60 40
1973
1979
1984
1990
1995
2001
2006
14
20
12
Cadmium concentration
Rhine at Lobith
10 8 ug/l 6 4 2 0 1968
0 1954
1965
1976
1987
1998
2009
1973
1979
1984
1990
1995
2001
2006
10
Floods in Europe
2003 Rhone
2002 Danube
11
12
13
Regional planning
Possible measures
14
Dike reinforcement
-In the 1980s: Protests from inhabitants -Raising dikes is no solution -Dike strengthening rather than raising
15
Navigability at low water level: -Groyne construction -Local sediment removal -Permanent bottom layer
Secondary channels
-Combination of flood discharge functions and nature development -Very attractive for recreation -Successful habitat creation for flora and fauna -After pilot projects, 7 flowing side-channels realised
16
Floodplain lowering
-On average, 0.5 m or more lower forelands -Good combination with creation of wetland habitats -Digging off clay deposits: use for brick industry
Dike repositioning
17
Retention areas
-Storage of part of the flood peak is feasible in middle reaches of the river -Areas realized in German part of the Rhine -Public resistance in some areas -Prolongation of present uses, or change of functions (recreation, nature, extensive agriculture)
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Cyclic rejuvenation
25-30 years
19
The Grensmaas-project
A plan for flood protection, nature development, gravel mining, and new economic impulses for the transboundary Meuse
The Grensmaas-project
Reference: Upper Meuse (France)
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The Grensmaas-project
The Grensmaas-project
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Bad
Poor
Moderate
Good
Very good
22
Reference conditions?
Conclusion
Water pollution has been abated, accumulated sediments remain a problem Hydromorphological changes have been irreversible but ecosystem impacts can (partly) be mitigated (e.g. side-channels, fish-ladders) Room for rivers approach for flood protection includes careful consideration of social and ecological values EU Directives have become very significant for water management; they work towards a more sustainable management of water resources
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