Dutch Complete Fortress Against the Sea

When a savage gale whipped up the North Sea and drowned nearly 2,000 people one winter’s night in 1953, the Dutch resolved to tame once and for all the water they rely on.

Now, after more than 30 years of work, fierce debate and more than $3 billion, they are putting the finishing touches on a major flood protection system, which they say will guard the Netherlands against similar disasters for centuries.

The ambitious Delta Project called for dams across all but one of the estuaries of the Rhine, Maas and Scheldt in the country’s southwest Zeeland province. Planning began in 1954.

The dams were to supplement 625 miles of coastal dikes, without which half of this seafaring country would be inundated twice a day as the tide washes over low-lying land.

Work Began in 1956

By 1956, work had begun on the barriers. But in 1976 the government bowed to pressure from environmentalists and fishermen in Zeeland and scrapped plans for the final dam across the widest, 5.6-mile estuary, the Eastern Scheldt. The other six went ahead.

Protesters had argued that completely sealing the delta would devastate the oyster and fishing industries and upset the delicate ecological balance.

The result was a typical Dutch compromise that safeguarded people and wildlife: a three-part storm-surge barrier with movable gates linking two artificial islands in the estuary.

On Neeltje Jans, one of the islands, engineers proudly survey the site where thousands have worked on the 1.9-mile barrier, the final part of the whole plan.

Difficult Project

One engineer, Jos Geluk, called it “the world’s most difficult water construction scheme.”

Marching away into the distance are 65 enormous concrete pillars, each weighing 18,000 tons, between which sit 62 steel flood gates, ready to be lowered into position when the high-water alert sounds.

Such elaborate compromises are not cheap, and successive governments have been embarrassed by having to bear spiraling costs while urging spending restraint in other sectors.

The barrier alone cost $2.4 billion. The Delta works as a whole are expected to cost $3.35 billion by the time roads are finished across the top of the barrier next year.

Shipping Remains Open

Shipping can still reach the sea through the open Western Scheldt, locks and the Rotterdam waterway.

As the work nears completion, Zeeland officials and scientists are discussing what the effects will be on the province’s islands, now joined to the mainland, and on the water. The coastline will have been effectively shortened by 438 miles.

Zeeland spokesman Jan Lelieveldt said that most locals were pleased to be safe from the sort of floods that swept over the area in 1953. “But the main concern now is what the other benefits and problems might be,” he said.

A tenth of the province’s economy is based on tourism, and better links could boost that figure. But at the same time, many local construction workers will be unemployed.

Oyster Harm Cited

Environmentalists believe the reduced tidal flow in the Eastern Scheldt--the barrier cuts it by 25%--could still harm oyster beds and upset rare migratory birds.

They hope the authorities will close the barrier only in dire emergencies, not more than once a year. Experts do not expect greater use, except to keep out pollution.

While the environmentalists and locals ponder the effects, designers and engineers are wondering what to do with millions of dollars worth of specialized construction equipment and where next to employ their skills.

“Of course, we’d like to sell the cranes and special vessels, but it’s not very easy,” Delta spokesman Leo Kneepkens said. “They could end up as scrap.”

Future of Vessels

He said there had been talk of using them in similar work in the Ganges Delta. But it is unlikely the vessels could make the journey, he said, and funding would not likely be available.