Flood defence town centre Dordrecht

Flood defence town centre Dordrecht

Hinborch, M.

Vrijling, J.K. (mentor)
Meyer, V.J. (mentor)
Molenaar, W.F. (mentor)
Waals, J. (mentor)

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Hydraulic Engineering

2011-01-06

The flood defence in the historical town centre of Dordrecht is situated in the Voorstraat, which is a busy shopping street. The dike itself is too low at some places, but with a system of flood stop logs in the doors of buildings along the street some extra height can be reached. The reliability of the stop log system is doubted however, so plans for strengthening the flood defence are needed. One important issue for strengthening the flood defence is the climate change. Warming of the earth would lead to sea level rise and higher river discharges. The rate of climate change is unsure however and various scenarios have been made which range from minor to major changes. The water level at Dordrecht is determined by both the sea level and river discharges, so climate change could have severe consequences for the safety against flooding of Dordrecht. When the advice of the Delta Committee is followed, the safety standards of the dike rings should be heightened and much higher water levels have to be expected. Also the plans for the Rijnmond-Drechtsteden area are important for the strategy of strengthening the flood defence in the town centre of Dordrecht. A system of barriers in this area could protect Dordrecht against flooding, but it is also possible that strengthening the flood defence in the town centre of Dordrecht is still needed. Strengthening the flood defence in the Voorstraat is difficult. Therefore also a new flood defence through the part of the town centre which now lies outside the flood defence is considered. Various alignments are possible, of which a flood defence along the river, which protects the entire town centre against flooding has been elaborated. This new flood defence will consist of an automatically floating barrier in the quays. Under normal circumstances this barrier is invisible and when the water level rises the barrier automatically floats up. At one part of the alignment buildings stand with the facades directly along the river. Here a boulevard through the river will be made, separated from the buildings. By integrating the floating barrier in the structure the boulevard can be kept low. Inside the flood defence there is place for a marina and a swimming area. At five places in the alignment a harbour has to be crossed. For this purpose at four places a flood gate will be made, which under normal circumstances lies at the bottom, so it is not visible and ships can pass. When a flood is expected the gates are closed. At one place, at the largest harbour crossing, a multi-functional barrier will be made. This barrier consists of two gates which stand horizontally when retaining a flood. After the flood the gates are lifted and rotated to form a bridge and viewing platform over the harbour. Because of the floating barrier the largest part of the new flood defence will not be visible under normal circumstances, so it will have little impact on the historical town centre. Therefore it is a good and sustainable solution for protecting the entire town centre of Dordrecht against flooding for a long time.

flood defence
Dordrecht
Voorstraat
climate change
floating barrier
barrier

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Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2011 Hinborch, M.