Overflow Tests on Grass-Covered Embankments at the Living Lab Hedwige-Prosperpolder

Overflow Tests on Grass-Covered Embankments at the Living Lab Hedwige-Prosperpolder: An Overview

Koelewijn, André R. (Deltares)
Rikkert, S.J.H. (TU Delft Coastal Engineering)
Peeters, P. (TU Delft Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk)
Depreiter, Davy (Flanders Hydraulics Research)
van Damme, Myron (Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment)
Zomer, Wouter (STOWA)

2022

In regions with a temperate climate, a well-maintained grass sod on a clay layer is considered a reliable protection for dams and dikes. In the Living Lab Hedwige-Prosperpolder, on the left bank of the Scheldt river straddling the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, a series of 27 overflow tests with a purpose-built overflow generator has been executed to determine the strength of the protective layer against erosion at various conditions. The goal of this paper is to inform on the executed test program and the initial results. From the results, it was concluded that in general, a high-quality grass cover on the landside dike slope can withstand high overflow discharges well for 12 to 30 h, without severe erosion damage. Anomalies, such as the presence of animal burrows, reed vegetation, and already present deformations can strongly reduce the resistance of the cover layer and may lead to failure within a couple of hours.

erosion
field test
grass
overtopping

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:11fe0962-a992-477d-9101-4a47e505ba51

https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182859

2073-4441

Water, 14 (18)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2022 André R. Koelewijn, S.J.H. Rikkert, P. Peeters, Davy Depreiter, Myron van Damme, Wouter Zomer