Study of the planning, layout and construction of inundation plains and nature reserves, within the scope of the SIGMA-plan – Research on slope protection.

Study of the planning, layout and construction of inundation plains and nature reserves, within the scope of the SIGMA-plan – Research on slope protection.

This investigation provided a method to predict the most adequate protection for any section of a dike. This method allows for the technical constraints as well as ecological and economical aspects, and deals with the integration of the dike in the landscape.

The selection criteria are based on the Dutch methodology and are adapted to the Flemish context.

For every single type of protection a pre-design was carried out. Based on the results the related budget estimates were then calculated.

In consultation with the concerned authorities, dike authorities, NTMB, INBO, etc., a coefficient of weight is attributed to each quality parameter, resulting in an optimal slope cover type, as a function the hydraulic and geometrical boundary conditions.

The method was then applied on the dike sections along the river Scheldt where maintenance works are planned in the near future, i.e. around 100 km, and concerned mostly dike raising, ring dikes and overflow dikes.

Apart from the actual top cover or top layer, the underlying layers as geotextiles and granular layers were examined.