Brede Groene Dijk
Making use of the excess sediment in the Ems-Dollard – The Wide Green Dike
For centuries, the Ems-Dollard estuary has been shaped by both natural processes and human intervention. Large scale land reclamation, embankment, channel deepening for navigation, and changes to estuary’s morphology have altered tidal dynamics and sediment transport, resulting in increasing amounts of fine sediment becoming trapped within the estuary. Today, the Ems-Dollard region faces a unique dual challenge: high sediment loads within the estuarine system and the need to strengthen coastal defences in response to rising sea-levels. Rather than treating these as two separate problems, the Brede Groene Dijk (Wide Green Dyke; 2021-2025) project set out to jointly address both through a single, integrated solution. The idea was simple, yet innovative: extract excess sediment from the system and transform it into valuable construction material for dike reinforcement. After the extracted silt was dried, desalinated and allowed to mature into clay suitable for engineering purposes. Following extensive laboratory testing, this locally produced clay was used to build 750 m of sea dike in 2022. This pilot section is being closely monitored over several years to evaluate its performance and determine whether the approach can be applied more widely in future coastal projects.. The project represents an innovative approach to circular dike construction, where natural sediment dynamics and engineering requirements are integrated.
Why is it a NbS (with regards to IUCN Definition)?
Making use of natural processes.
Purpose of the NbS
Coastal safety / protection: reinforcement of dike with local sediments.