IJssel River recedes without flooding Deventer; High water elsewhere this weekend

The high water level in the IJssel River did not flow beyond the limit of the reinforced quay in Deventer. The city said that the water level did not reach the critical point of 6.30 meters above NAP, the average level of the North Sea. The water is slowly receding again, Deventer announced on Thursday. The highest water in the central and western portion of the Netherlands could arrive from Friday through Sunday.

At a water level of 6.30 meters the quay would flood. The municipality of Deventer had previously placed sandbags on the quay for safety's sake, as well as extra-large bags of sand. These will remain in place for the time being, the municipality said.

The Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Board said that the weather of the past few days, and the coming days, will provide relief. The water board's pumping stations have been operating on average at about 50 percent to pump away the excess water. A number of emergency pumps are also no longer needed.

The water board said at about 2 p.m. that the highest water level was reached in Deventer. It did indicate that the level further down the IJssel towards Kampen could still rise a few centimeters. The IJssel River starts in the Netherlands as the Rhine River, which enters the Netherlands in Lobith before breaking off in different directions. The IJssel River runs north, connecting Arnhem, Doesburg, Zutphen, Deventer, Zwolle, and Kampen before reaching the IJsselmeer.

More preparations for high water along the IJssel and IJsselmeer

The Vallei and Veluwe Water Board will prepare the high-water channel between Veessen and Wapenveld in Gelderland on Thursday so that it can be used if necessary. The high-water channel was constructed in 2017 to specifically withstand extremely high water levels in the IJssel, such as 5.65 meters above NAP near Veessen. A great deal of water from the IJssel can then flow through that channel over agricultural land, but the board thinks that it will not be necessary. Nevertheless, hydraulic cylinders were attached to the valves under the Tolbrug at Veessen on Thursday morning, so that the channel can be opened manually.

The very high water level on the IJsselmeer briefly dropped by 10 centimeters on Thursday, because it was possible to drain water at the Afsluitdijk. The water levels in the Markermeer and the Randmeren have also fallen somewhat as a result. But in the coming days, draining water from the lake will be more difficult due to spring tides in the Wadden Sea and strong to stormy winds along the coast. In addition, the water level is influenced by the fact that rivers are draining a significant amount of water to the IJsselmeer, Rijkswaterstaat said on Thursday.

Areas outside the dykes along the IJsselmeer will continue to be flooded in the coming days. This is particularly the case in the Eem area, Flevoland, Noord-Holland at Edam and Enkhuizen, and in Marken, as well as in the Frisian cities of Makkum, Stavoren and Lemmer. The strong sustained winds and gusts can push up the water considerably in those areas.

Highest water level in central and western Netherlands from Friday

The water takes two days to flow from Lobith to Deventer. Dutch infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat said expects that the Rhine water level at Lobith will fluctuate around the high point of 14.52 meters above NAP throughout Thursday. Then a decline will occur, but the high tide wave needs about three days to reach the North Sea. This means that the center and west of the country will only experience the highest water levels in the major rivers on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

In the coming days, the De Stichtse Rijnlanden Water Board will inspect the 55 kilometer long Lekdijk between Amerongen and Schoonhoven for water flowing from the river under the dike. This can cause a dike to become unstable. To do this, the dike inspectors have to walk through residential gardens. If bubbling water is discovered, the area is covered with sandbags.