The emergency dam in Maastricht has been closed

The construction of an emergency dam in a watercourse on the Stuwweg in Maastricht was almost completed on Monday. The dam is closed and will only be further strengthened. Rijkswaterstaat said this.

The emergency dam was built recently by a contractor in collaboration with soldiers. The dam is intended to end the rapid water flow, which complicated the repair of a spillway dam nearby.

A spillway is a water barrier that allows very high water to flow over the edge into a green rear area, such as in the Maastricht Bosscherveld. However, two-thirds of this spillway had been washed away by the furiously flowing water of the past week.

Last weekend, the hole was mainly filled in the spillway dam with heavy stones using Chinook helicopters. This caused the flow rate of the water to decrease.

A spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat could not yet say when the repair of the spillway will begin. The same applies to a bridge further away, which is about to collapse. Consideration is being given to constructing an emergency bridge there. The bridge was dislocated when a drifting houseboat collided with it last week. The wildly flowing water had swept it away after the spillway broke.

An emergency ordinance in the area remains in force; it is forbidden to go there. However, residents can go to their boat on Tuesday to pick up items.