Deltares has just announced that the coarse sand barrier won the first prize in the Flood Risk Management category of the 2018 Water Innovation Awards.
Leo Voogt and Ulrich Förster picked up the award on behalf of the Rivierenland Water Authority and the POV program (part of a research program of Rijkswaterstaat’s National Flood Protection Program).
It was handed over by the Dutch Association of Regional Water Authorities and the Nederlandse Waterschapsbank. The Water Innovation Award helps the winners take the innovation forward in a booster program with multiple options (testing and implementation, for example).
The innovation devised by Deltares received a grant from Rijkswaterstaat in 2017 for further development with the Rivierenland Water Authority and the POV piping program.
The effectiveness of the barrier has now been demonstrated in a test array at Deltares and in the Delta Flume. Working with a coarse sand barrier is faster, cheaper and more sustainable than the traditional approach, the company said.
Deltares also added that a coarse sand barrier can be installed quickly and no artificial materials are introduced into the soil. Until recently, a protective structure made of concrete, steel or synthetic material had to be installed on dikes where space was short. With the coarse sand barrier, that is no longer necessary and the cost savings are considerable.