Friday, 30 August 2013 - 01:42
Engineers highly concerned about flood barrier
Six experts who played a leading role in constructing the storm surge barrier in the Oosterschelde are very concerned about the safety of the dam.The foundation has sustained significant damage because of failure to perform necessary maintanance, according to the engineers.
The engineers have reported their concerns to Parliament and to the Provincial Council of New Zealand. They state that upon completion of the Oosterschelde dam an extensive landfill program for the slopes of scour holes was put in place.
OosterscheldeKering,
DeltaWorks Online - Job van de Sande,
Wikimedia commons The pits are caused by a stronger, changing current. The landfill includes steel slag (blast furnace waste) and should avoid the slopes of the pits getting too steep and as a result cave in. The safety of the barrier has never been in question, says the department of Public Works to NU.nl. The necessary maintenance measures were taken, says a representative, but to a lesser extent. Maybe we should have done more. The letter writers claim that, because of the negligence of foundation maintenance, the stability of the North Beveland bank of the barrier was in immediate danger. It's like walking along the edge of an abyss. Public Works did some emergency landfill after the experts sounded the alarm. However, since then, the maintenance schedule was put back on the back burner, says Engineer F. Spaargaren, one of the letter writers. He goes on to say they believe a structural maintenance program needs to be enforced for the next 25 years to avoid compromising the stability of the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier by erosion. Public Works values the reports of the experts. Studying data together to reinforce what you're doing benefits everybody. The condition of the dikes and dams are checked very regularly by Public Works and polder boards Scheldestromen, explains a spokesperson. Mats and blocks were placed around the Oosterschelde dam to prevent the sand from washing away. Strong currents naturally cause erosion gullies at the edges of the mats - at least 600 meters from the Oosterschelde dam. Landfills are applied to prevent these gullies from getting too deep. Furthermore, the department of Public Works announced it issued a procurement for maintenance landfills to ensure long term stability.
DeltaWorks Online - Job van de Sande,
Wikimedia commons The pits are caused by a stronger, changing current. The landfill includes steel slag (blast furnace waste) and should avoid the slopes of the pits getting too steep and as a result cave in. The safety of the barrier has never been in question, says the department of Public Works to NU.nl. The necessary maintenance measures were taken, says a representative, but to a lesser extent. Maybe we should have done more. The letter writers claim that, because of the negligence of foundation maintenance, the stability of the North Beveland bank of the barrier was in immediate danger. It's like walking along the edge of an abyss. Public Works did some emergency landfill after the experts sounded the alarm. However, since then, the maintenance schedule was put back on the back burner, says Engineer F. Spaargaren, one of the letter writers. He goes on to say they believe a structural maintenance program needs to be enforced for the next 25 years to avoid compromising the stability of the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier by erosion. Public Works values the reports of the experts. Studying data together to reinforce what you're doing benefits everybody. The condition of the dikes and dams are checked very regularly by Public Works and polder boards Scheldestromen, explains a spokesperson. Mats and blocks were placed around the Oosterschelde dam to prevent the sand from washing away. Strong currents naturally cause erosion gullies at the edges of the mats - at least 600 meters from the Oosterschelde dam. Landfills are applied to prevent these gullies from getting too deep. Furthermore, the department of Public Works announced it issued a procurement for maintenance landfills to ensure long term stability.