Spotlight on sustainable sediment management

DEME Group is participating in an innovative environmental project to make the use of clean dredged material much more efficient in the Rhine-Meuse estuary.

The main goal of the project is to deliver knowledge and new techniques for sustainable sediment management.

Following dredging operations, a lot of sand and silt is lost from the Rhine-Meuse estuary into the sea or into depots.

The four-year project is examining how this dredged sand and silt can be retained in the natural system of the estuary for as long as possible.

This is not only better for the environment, but also for the safety of the delta. In the longer term, sediment is needed to make the estuary more resilient to climate change and the rise in sea levels, DEME said.

‘The Rhine Estuary Sediment Testing Ground’ initiative brings together major players such as Deltares, DEME Group (de Vries & van de Wiel), Port of Rotterdam, Rijkswaterstaat, the World Wildlife Fund, Natuurmonumenten, Waterschap Hollandse Delta and Wageningen Marine Research.