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234:, built up from sediment left by thousands of years of flooding by rivers and the sea. About 2,000 years ago most of the Netherlands was covered by extensive peat swamps. The coast consisted of a row of coastal dunes and natural embankments which kept the swamps from draining but also from being washed away by the sea. The only areas suitable for habitation were on the higher grounds in the east and south and on the dunes and natural embankments along the coast and the rivers. In several places the sea had broken through these natural defenses and created extensive floodplains in the north. The first permanent inhabitants of this area were probably attracted by the sea-deposited clay soil which was much more fertile than the peat and sandy soil further inland. To protect themselves against floods they built their homes on
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boards began to emerge. These often controlled only a small area, a single polder or dike. Later they merged or an overall organization was formed when different water boards had conflicting interests. The original water boards differed much from each other in the organisation, power, and area that they managed. The differences were often regional and were dictated by differing circumstances, whether they had to defend a sea dike against a storm surge or keep the water level in a polder within bounds. In the middle of the 20th century there were about 2,700 water control boards. After many mergers there are currently 21 water boards left. Water boards hold separate elections, levy taxes, and function independently from other government bodies.
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514:), only to cause problems to others living further upstream. Large scale deforestation upstream caused the river levels to become ever more extreme while the demand for arable land led to more land being protected by dikes, giving less space to the river stream bed and so causing even higher water levels. Local dikes to protect villages were connected to create a ban dike to contain the river at all times. These developments meant that while the regular floods for the first inhabitants of the river valleys were just a nuisance, in contrast the later incidental floods when dikes burst were much more destructive.
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578:) meant that those living at the dike had to pay and care for it. This led to haphazard maintenance and it is believed that many floods would not have happened or would not have been as severe if the dikes had been in better condition. Those living further inland often refused to pay or help in the upkeep of the dikes though they were just as much affected by floods, while those living at the dike itself could go bankrupt from having to repair a breached dike.
584:(Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management) was set up in 1798 under French rule to put water control in the Netherlands under a central government. Local waterboards however were too attached to their autonomy and for most of the time Rijkswaterstaat worked alongside the local waterboards. Rijkswaterstaat has been responsible for many major water control structures and was later and still is also involved in building railroads and highways.
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subsidence resulted in developed areas becoming wet again. Cultivated lands which were at first primarily used for growing grain thus became too wet and the switch was made to dairy farming. A new area behind the existing field was then cultivated, heading deeper into the wild. This cycle repeated itself several times until the different developments met each other and no further undeveloped land was available. All land was then used for grazing cattle.
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305:, earth dikes with a protective layer of seaweed. An earth embankment was cut vertically on the sea-facing side. Seaweed was then stacked against this edge, held into place with poles. Compression and rotting processes resulted in a solid residue that proved very effective against wave action and they needed very little maintenance. In places where seaweed was unavailable, other materials, such as reeds or wicker mats, were used.
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flood defenses are tested against this norm every five years. In 2010 about 800 km of dikes out of a total of 3,500 km failed to meet the norm. This does not mean there is an immediate flooding risk; it is the result of the norm's becoming more strict from the results of scientific research on, for example, wave action and sea level rise.
416:("bosom"), a system of canals and lakes connecting the different polders and acting as a storage basin until the water could be let out to river or sea, either by a sluice gate at low tide or using further pumps. This system is still in use today, though drainage mills have been replaced by first steam and later diesel and electric
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in 1937 showed that the sea defenses in the southwest river delta were inadequate to withstand a major storm surge. The proposed solution was to dam all the river mouths and sea inlets thereby shortening the coast. However, because of the scale of this project and the intervention of the Second World
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A committee reported in 1977 about the weakness of the river dikes, but there was too much resistance from the local population against demolishing houses and straightening and strengthening the old meandering dikes. It took the flood threats in 1993 and again in 1995, when over 200,000 people had to
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Taking land from the cycle of flooding by putting a dike around it prevents it from being raised by silt left behind after a flooding. At the same time the drained soil consolidates and peat decomposes leading to land subsidence. In this way the difference between the water level on one side and land
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coupled with technological developments have led to large construction works to reduce the influence of the sea and prevent future floods. These have proved essential over the course of Dutch history, both geographically and militarily, and have greatly impacted the lives of many living in the cities
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could therefore essentially only be used for grazing cattle it was in later centuries seen as a wasteful use of land. Most overflows have now been removed, focusing instead on stronger dikes and more control over the distribution of water across the river branches. To achieve this canals such as the
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These undertakings often devastated the landscape as agricultural land was dug away and the leftover ridges, used for drying the peat, collapsed under the action of waves. Small lakes were created which quickly grew in area, every increase in surface water leading to more leverage of the wind on the
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At about the same time as the building of dikes the first swamps were made suitable for agriculture by colonists. By digging a system of parallel drainage ditches water was drained from the land to be able to grow grain. However, the peat settled much more than other soil types when drained and land
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The sea defenses are continuously being strengthened and raised to meet the safety norm of a flood chance of once every 10,000 years for the west, which is the economic heart and most densely populated part of the
Netherlands, and once every 4,000 years for less densely populated areas. The primary
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The first dikes and water control structures were built and maintained by those directly benefiting from them, mostly farmers. As the structures got more extensive and complex councils were formed from people with a common interest in the control of water levels on their land and so the first water
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Current dikes are made with a core of sand, covered by a thick layer of clay to provide waterproofing and resistance against erosion. Dikes without a foreland have a layer of crushed rock below the waterline to slow wave action. Up to the high waterline the dike is often covered with carefully laid
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After about AD 1000 the population grew, which meant there was a greater demand for arable land but also that there was a greater workforce available and dike construction was taken up more seriously. The major contributors in later dike building were the monasteries. As the largest landowners they
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Because of the continuous land subsidence it became ever more difficult to remove excess water. The mouths of streams and rivers were dammed to prevent high water levels flowing back upstream and overflowing cultivated lands. These dams had a wooden culvert equipped with a valve, allowing drainage
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The next step was to move the dikes ever-more seawards. Every cycle of high and low tide left a small layer of sediment. Over the years these layers had built up to such a height that they were rarely flooded. It was then considered safe to build a new dike around this area. The old dike was often
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in
Germany). Between 500 BC and AD 700 there were probably several periods of habitation and abandonment as the sea level periodically rose and fell. The first dikes were low embankments of only a meter or so in height surrounding fields to protect the crops against occasional flooding. Around the
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constructed above the level of the highest tide they experience; they live in huts built on the site so chosen and are like sailors in ships when the waters cover the surrounding land, but when the tide has receded they are like shipwrecked victims. Around their huts they catch fish as they try to
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The 17th and 18th centuries were a period of many infamous river floods resulting in much loss of life. They were often caused by ice dams blocking the river. Land reclamation works, large willow plantations and building in the winter bed of the river all worsened the problem. Next to the obvious
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was built in 1997, keeping economical factors in mind: the
Maeslantkering is a set of two swinging doors that can shut off the river mouth when necessary, but which are usually open. The Maeslantkering is forecast to close about once per decade. Up until January 2012, it has closed only once, in
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of certain areas can allow a military defensive line to be created. In case of an advancing enemy army, the area was to be inundated with about 30 cm (1 ft) of water, too shallow for boats but deep enough to make advance on foot difficult by hiding underwater obstacles such as canals,
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The Second Delta
Committee, or Veerman Committee, officially Staatscommissie voor Duurzame Kustontwikkeling (State Committee for Durable Coast Development) gave its advice in 2008. It expects a sea level rise of 65 to 130 cm by the year 2100. Among its suggestions are:
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trading ships, that ate its way through Dutch sea defenses around 1730. The change was made from wood to using stone for reinforcement. This was a great financial setback as there is no naturally occurring rock in the
Netherlands and it all had to be imported from abroad.
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and warns the responsible parties in the affected coastal districts. These can then take appropriate measures depending on the expected water levels, such as evacuating areas outside the dikes, closing barriers and in extreme cases patrolling the dikes during the storm.
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as fuel. First all the peat down to the groundwater table was dug away. In the 16th century a method was developed to dig peat below water, using a dredging net on a long pole. Large scale peat dredging was taken up by companies, supported by investors from the cities.
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The first river dikes appeared near the river mouths in the 11th century, where incursions from the sea added to the danger from high water levels on the river. Local rulers dammed branches of rivers to prevent flooding on their lands (Graaf van
Holland, c. 1160,
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The development of the polder mill gave the option of draining the lakes. In the 16th century this work was started on small, shallow lakes, continuing with ever-larger and deeper lakes, though it was not until in the 19th century that the most dangerous of lakes, the
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There, twice in every twenty-four hours, the ocean's vast tide sweeps in a flood over a large stretch of land and hides Nature's everlasting controversy about whether this region belongs to the land or to the sea. There these wretched peoples occupy high ground, or
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Another system used much and for a long time was that of a vertical screen of timbers backed by an earth bank. Technically these vertical constructions were less successful as vibration from crashing waves and washing out of the dike foundations weakened the dike.
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The dikes were maintained by the individuals who benefited from their existence, every farmer having been designated part of the dike to maintain, with a three-yearly viewing by the water board directors. The old rule "Whom the water hurts, he the water stops"
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near
Amsterdam, was drained using steam power. Drained lakes and new polders can often be easily distinguished on topographic maps by their different regular division pattern as compared to their older surroundings. Millwright and hydraulic engineer
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gave a major impulse to speed up the project. In the following years a number of dams were built to close off the estuary mouths. In 1976, under pressures from environmental groups and the fishing industry, it was decided not to close off the
290:, when the seaward dike collapses the secondary inland dike becomes the primary. Although the redundancy provides security, the land from the first to second dike is lost; over the years the loss can become significant.
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but preventing water from flowing upstream. These dams, however, blocked shipping and the economic activity caused by the need to transship goods caused villages to grow up near the dam, some famous examples are
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The institutional arrangements for water management in the 19th and 20th centuries / L'organisation institutionnelle de la gestion de l'eau aux XIXe et XXe siècles / sous la direction de Jos C.N. Raadschelders
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caused the loss of De Grote Waard in the southwest of the country. Particularly the digging of peat near the dike for salt production and neglect because of a civil war caused dikes to fail, which created the
534:) were created. These were intentionally low dikes where the excess water could be diverted downstream. The land in such a diversion channel was kept clear of buildings and obstructions. As this so-called
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9th century the sea was on the advance again and many terps had to be raised to keep them safe. Many single terps had by this time grown together as villages. These were now connected by the first dikes.
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Technological development in the 20th century meant that larger projects could be undertaken to further improve the safety against flooding and to reclaim large areas of land. The most important are the
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escape with the ebbing tide. It does not fall to their lot to keep herds and live on milk, like neighboring tribes, nor even to fight with wild animals, since all undergrowth has been pushed far back.
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be evacuated and the dikes only just held, to put plans into action. Now the risk of a river flooding has been reduced from once every 100 years to once every 1,250 years. Further works in the
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project allows for periodic flooding of indefensible lands. In such regions residents have been removed to higher ground, some of which has been raised above anticipated flood levels.
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Over the years there have been many storm surges and floods in the
Netherlands. Some deserve special mention as they particularly have changed the contours of the Netherlands.
872:, a storm surge barrier which is only closed during storms. It is the most well-known (and most expensive) dam of the project. A second major hurdle for the works was in the
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136:, as due to its low elevation, approximately two thirds of its area is vulnerable to flooding, while the country is densely populated. Natural sand dunes and constructed
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ditches, and purpose-built traps. Dikes crossing the flooded area and other strategic points were to be protected by fortifications. The system proved successful on the
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The current sea defenses are stronger than ever, but experts warn that complacency would be a mistake. New calculation methods revealed numerous weak spots.
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The
Zuiderzee Works (Zuiderzeewerken) are a system of dams, land reclamation, and water drainage works. The basis of the project was the damming off of the
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in the 15th century. The wind-driven water pump has become one of the trademark tourist attractions of the
Netherlands. The first drainage mills using a
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A dike could not always be moved seawards. Especially in the southwest river delta it was often the case that the primary sea dike was undermined by a
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had the organization, resources and manpower to undertake the large construction. By 1250 most dikes had been connected into a continuous sea defense.
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could raise water at most 1.5 m. By combining mills the pumping height could be increased. Later mills were equipped with an
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Bosker, F (2008). "Zeedijken in het noorden, Mythes en feiten over 2000 jaar kustbescherming", uitgeverij Noordboek,
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The Stormvloedwaarschuwingsdienst (SVSD; Storm Surge Warning Service) makes a water level forecast in case of a
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project are being carried out to give the rivers more space to flood and in this way reducing the flood height.
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The more recent floodings of 1916 and 1953 gave rise to building the Afsluitdijk and Deltaworks respectively.
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BCE, that "more people died in the struggle against water than in the struggle against men". Roman author
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level on the other side of the dike grew. While floods became more rare, if the dike did overflow or was
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from the sea. River dikes prevent flooding from water flowing into the country by the major rivers
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The construction method of dikes has changed over the centuries. Popular in the Middle Ages were
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Flood control in the Netherlands : a strategy for dike reinforcement and climate adaptation
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water to attack more land. It even led to villages being lost to the waves of human-made lakes.
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Stol, T (1993). "Wassend water, dalend land; Geschiedenis van Nederland en het water", Kosmos,
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were eventually called off because of the ecological and recreational values of these waters.
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The growth of towns and industry in the Middle Ages resulted in an increased demand for dried
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played a major part in its design and as statesman in the authorization of its construction.
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1424:– 2009 publication by Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment: Rijkswaterstaat
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Ten Brinke, W (2007). "Land in Zee; De watergeschiedenis van Nederland", Veen Magazines,
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to use sand replenishment to broaden the North Sea coast and allow it to grow naturally,
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The amount of coastal erosion is compared against the so-called "reference coastline" (
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by one to two meters by the end of this century, with even more following. This, land
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War its construction was delayed and the first works were only completed in 1950. The
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Vergemissen, H (1998). "Het woelige water; Watermanagment in Nederland", Teleac/NOT,
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are the independent local government bodies responsible for maintaining this system.
1294:"Waterschap Noorderzijlvest: Resultaat 'APK-keuring' zeedijk Noorderzijlvest bekend"
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which could overwhelm the measures the Netherlands has taken to control floods. The
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affected, stimulating their economies through constant infrastructural improvement.
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1276:"Unie van Waterschappen: Groot deel Nederlandse dijken nu al toekomstbestendig"
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The first large construction works on the rivers were conducted by the Romans.
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but was overcome in 1795 because of heavy frost. It was also used with the
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1418:– website about the flood of 1953 and the construction of the Delta Works
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Further drainage could only be accomplished after the development of the
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Much damage was done to these wood constructions with the arrival of the
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to increase the safety norms tenfold and strengthen dikes accordingly,
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A series of devastating storm surges, more or less starting with the
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in the middle of the country to the North Sea, thereby creating the
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is one of the three pumping stations that drained the Haarlemmermeer
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1112:. Zeeberg, Jaap Jan. Leiden: Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland. 2009.
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and especially airplanes have made that strategy largely obsolete.
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642:. It in itself would cause much trouble until the building of the
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1430:– 2008–2012 research program for flood control in the Netherlands
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to raise the water level in the IJsselmeer to provide freshwater.
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The flood-threatened area of the Netherlands is essentially an
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Without dikes, the Netherlands would be flooded to this extent.
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These measures would cost approximately 1 billion euros/year.
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to use the lakes in the southwest river delta as river water
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1032:"Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends"
1158:. Raadschelders, J. C. N. Amsterdam: IOS Press. 2005.
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has become famous for his involvement in these works.
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Sea dike keeping Delfzijl and surroundings dry in 1994
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List of settlements lost to floods in the Netherlands
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History of science and technology in the Netherlands
657:. By 1520 the Dollart had reached its largest area.
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kept as a secondary defense, called a sleeper dike.
332:thought to have been brought to the Netherlands by
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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1247:"Hans Middendorp (Den Haag), waterschap Delfland"
386:(dam in the Rotte). Only in later centuries were
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880:would threaten about 1.5 million people around
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587:Water boards may try new experiments like the
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282:. A secondary dike was then built, called an
1030:Tockner, Klement; Stanford, Jack A. (2002).
924:Sand replenishment in front of a Dutch beach
649:Several storms starting in 1219 created the
1326:"Rijkswaterstaat: Stormvloedwaarschuwingen"
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1690:Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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483:was responsible for building a dam in the
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408:which could raise water much higher. The
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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576:Wie het water deert, die het water keert
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1685:Proclamation of Indonesian Independence
1355:Michael Kimmelman (February 13, 2013).
634:and connecting the previously existing
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530:clearing of the winter bed, overflows (
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1308:"Rijkswaterstaat: Water in beeld 2009"
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1007:"The Edges of the Earth (3) – Livius"
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692:used flooding as a protective measure
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1422:Water Management in the Netherlands
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390:developed to allow ships to pass.
196:, as he passed them on his way to
58:"Flood control in the Netherlands"
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464:Three major European rivers, the
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1251:www.algemenewaterschapspartij.nl
876:area. A storm surge through the
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1343:Delta Commissie 2008: Advice
1208:. 2016-01-16. Archived from
897:Current situation and future
680:Flooding as military defense
653:from the mouth of the river
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1476:Kingdom of the Netherlands
1253:(in Dutch). Archived from
1036:Environmental Conservation
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690:Defence Line of Amsterdam
601:Floods in the Netherlands
565:Water board (Netherlands)
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782:into a fresh water lake
615:A flood at Erichem, 1809
148:provide defense against
861:North Sea flood of 1953
844:at work during a storm.
624:First All Saints' flood
460:Control of river floods
2149:Decorations and medals
1598:Burgundian Netherlands
1186:: CS1 maint: others (
1140:: CS1 maint: others (
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2144:Customs and etiquette
1357:"Going With the Flow"
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711:Third Anglo-Dutch War
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666:St. Elizabeth's flood
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345:stones or a layer of
311:
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188:The Greek geographer
124:
2179:Orders of knighthood
1812:World Heritage Sites
1715:Coronavirus pandemic
1705:European debt crisis
1678:Dutch Liberation Day
1603:Habsburg Netherlands
1428:FloodControl2015.com
703:Hollandic Water Line
559:Water control boards
497:connecting the river
481:Nero Claudius Drusus
170:Water control boards
43:improve this article
1787:Mountains and hills
1638:Batavian Revolution
1618:Spanish Netherlands
1613:Seventeen Provinces
1206:Big Improvement Day
905:could increase the
870:Oosterscheldekering
841:Oosterscheldekering
733:Modern developments
2038:Telecommunications
1648:Kingdom of Holland
1361:The New York Times
1082:www.asherbooks.com
1078:"Asher Rare Books"
988:Room for the River
975:Room for the River
926:
846:
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628:Allerheiligenvloed
617:
553:Room for the River
527:
510:; Floris V, 1285,
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1967:Political parties
1903:Foreign relations
1825:
1824:
1695:Same-sex marriage
1643:Batavian Republic
1623:Eighty Years' War
1593:Holy Roman Empire
1394:978-90-8571-073-8
1235:978-90-330-0751-4
1202:"Hans Middendorp"
886:Port of Rotterdam
727:heavier artillery
541:Pannerdens Kanaal
495:and possibly for
406:Archimedes' screw
369:, the Netherlands
365:The windmills of
286:. With an inland
223:manmade platforms
175:In modern times,
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1519:Migration Period
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937:
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725:. The advent of
709:1672 during the
595:Notorious floods
512:Hollandse IJssel
418:pumping stations
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1579:Frisian Freedom
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856:Rijkswaterstaat
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792:Zuiderzee Works
776:Zuiderzee Works
768:
766:Zuiderzee Works
752:port of Antwerp
740:Zuiderzee Works
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696:The deliberate
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213:Natural History
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177:flood disasters
164:(historically:
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1411:
1410:External links
1408:
1407:
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1396:
1386:
1374:
1373:
1347:
1335:
1332:on 2012-01-10.
1317:
1314:on 2009-11-04.
1299:
1285:
1282:on 2011-07-24.
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1042:(3): 308–330.
1022:
1011:www.livius.org
997:
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980:Global warming
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958:
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907:mean sea level
903:Sea level rise
898:
895:
890:Maeslantkering
848:Main article:
832:
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816:—IJssel lake.
790:Main article:
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599:Main article:
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563:Main article:
560:
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545:Nieuwe Merwede
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454:Jan Leeghwater
449:Haarlemmermeer
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1405:
1404:90-215-2183-0
1401:
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1384:90-6533-467-X
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1281:
1277:
1271:
1257:on 2018-06-28
1256:
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1226:
1212:on 2018-06-28
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1119:9789072381101
1115:
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1091:on 2020-08-20
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935:basiskustlijn
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825:Cornelis Lely
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192:noted of the
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130:Flood control
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63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
2224:Coat of arms
2194:Prostitution
2107:Architecture
2048:Trade unions
2028:Polder model
2013:Central bank
1982:Water boards
1908:Human rights
1898:Homelessness
1868:Demographics
1858:Constitution
1761:
1668:World War II
1658:Principality
1474:Part of the
1366:February 19,
1364:. Retrieved
1360:
1350:
1338:
1330:the original
1320:
1312:the original
1302:
1288:
1280:the original
1270:
1259:. Retrieved
1255:the original
1250:
1241:
1225:
1214:. Retrieved
1210:the original
1205:
1196:
1155:
1150:
1109:
1104:
1093:. Retrieved
1086:the original
1081:
1072:
1039:
1035:
1025:
1014:. Retrieved
1010:
1001:
978:
970:
948:
940:
927:
915:
900:
853:
839:
818:
809:
795:
736:
695:
675:
664:In 1421 the
663:
648:
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621:
618:
586:
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568:
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272:Plompe toren
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229:
219:
212:
187:
174:
150:storm surges
128:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
2241:Terminology
2189:Pornography
1930:Enforcement
1920:Immigration
1893:Health care
1873:Drug policy
1752:Earthquakes
1747:Delta Works
1608:Renaissance
1514:Cananefates
1465:Netherlands
943:storm surge
850:Delta Works
831:Delta Works
812:became the
802:Afsluitdijk
778:turned the
744:Delta Works
723:IJssel Line
719:Grebbe line
644:Afsluitdijk
636:Lake Almere
589:sand engine
536:green river
508:Kromme Rijn
428:De Cruquius
402:scoop wheel
134:Netherlands
2289:Categories
2164:Literature
2154:Irreligion
1962:Parliament
1888:Euthanasia
1863:Corruption
1633:Golden Age
1261:2018-06-28
1216:2018-06-28
1165:1586034820
1095:2018-06-28
1016:2018-06-28
994:References
911:subsidence
814:IJsselmeer
784:IJsselmeer
760:Markermeer
756:Wadden Sea
698:inundating
659:Reiderland
632:Wadden Sea
605:See also:
547:were dug.
367:Kinderdijk
303:wierdijken
284:inlaagdijk
246:(known as
204: 325
198:Heligoland
146:floodgates
69:newspapers
2159:Languages
2058:Transport
2008:AEX index
1952:Provinces
1935:Law Firms
1883:Elections
1878:Education
1807:Volcanoes
1767:Gas field
1725:Geography
1497:Roman Era
1345:(English)
1182:cite book
1136:cite book
1128:637139008
1056:1469-4387
984:sea level
882:Rotterdam
806:North Sea
798:Zuiderzee
780:Zuiderzee
671:Biesbosch
646:in 1933.
640:Zuiderzee
532:overlaten
523:Nederrijn
493:Nederrijn
384:Rotterdam
376:Amsterdam
166:windmills
99:June 2024
2269:Category
2204:Religion
2117:Cannabis
2033:Taxation
2023:Euronext
1977:Military
1843:Abortion
1831:Politics
1588:Guelders
1571:Flanders
1537:Dorestad
1528:Frisians
1174:57541059
1064:18937837
874:Rijnmond
758:and the
742:and the
721:and the
707:rampjaar
398:windmill
322:shipworm
296:breached
252:Halligen
2260:Outline
2214:Symbols
2127:Cuisine
2095:Culture
2066:Cycling
2043:Tourism
1996:Economy
1942:Monarch
1848:Cabinet
1792:Regions
1782:Mammals
1772:Islands
1584:Brabant
1575:Holland
1541:Utrecht
1506:Chamavi
1484:History
821:polders
651:Dollart
525:in 1995
491:to the
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