IMMERSE at the annual Schelde Symposium - and Magazine!
12 December 2019 - Published by Lisa Simone de Grunt
IMMERSE was promoted at the annual Schelde Symposium organised by the Flemish-Dutch Schelde Commission on 21 November! With IMMERSE, the Commission is expanding its cooperation in ánd outside the Schelde estuary. Our Project Lead, Frederik Roose presented IMMERSE and its 5 pilots during the plenary session - the presentation is available here (Dutch only). Don't feel like reading? The conference organisers also developed a cool aftermovie!
© Anita Eijlers
We are now also featured in the Schelde Magazine (Dutch only). The article highlights the three activities that will be implemented in the Schelde under IMMERSE, including:
- Flood channel dredging in the Upper Zeescheldt
Last June, the Flemish Waterway started work on the flood channel in Wijmeers in the Upper Zeescheldt. A flood channel is a tidal channel that is open to the flood, has a threshold on the land side and allows salt water to travel landward. A wider excavated flood channel will reduce the tidal range in the Scheldt locally, by steering the water into a secondary channel. This creates a kind of "braided" river, where tidal energy is removed and the sand and sludge flush naturally. - Long-term perspective Nature: "Breeding together on the Scheldt"
The stakeholders and the Schelde Commssion have jointly drawn up a system analysis of the state of (the development of) nature in the Scheldt estuary, as the first step of the Long-term Perspective for Nature. This lays the foundation for the next step: the joint development of a future perspective for nature, including associated strategic choices and possible measures for nature restoration. - Pilot morphological management of the Scheldt estuary
The tidal range in the Scheldt estuary has increased by more than a meter in the last century near Antwerp. The higher tide means increased safety risks, the lower low tide makes the Scheldt less accessible for shipping, and there are consequences for nature. Between September 2019 and June 2020, the Port of Antwerp is undertaking a feasibility study to explore whether and how sand deposits may reduce the tidal range in the Scheldt.
