All hands on deck at Dutch water boards, but dikes are safe
High water levels in several rivers in the Netherlands will continue to cause inconvenience in the coming days. Especially along the river IJssel problems are expected. Near Deventer, the water level of that river is rising faster than expected, the water is rising at one centimetre per hour, which is extremely hard. Tomorrow the water is expected to reach the critical point of 6.30 meters above NAP, after which the water will run over the quay wall. Then a road between the IJssel and the city centre will also flood. This has already been partially closed as a precautionary measure to place a dam of sandbags there to protect the old city centre. This will raise the quay about 30 centimetres. In a few places along the IJssel, the high water is coming under the dikes. These quagmires are common during high water, but do require measures, because otherwise a water corridor under the dike may develop. Back pressure is created by means of sandbags.
The effects of the heavy rainfall are also clearly visible in Drenthe. The canals and ditches in Overijssel are completely full and according to spokesman Herald van Gerner of Waterschap Drents Overijsselse Delta, "not a drop more can be added." The pumping stations are all running at full power, but still it cannot be prevented that some meadows are flooded. Despite the high water, safety is nowhere in question, reports the Union of Water Boards. "The dikes are in order. We don't see any problems there," said spokesman Jurjen Jongepier. "But that does not mean there is no nuisance in various places," he says. The water boards continue to collect and pump away as much water as possible. "But the water system and the soil are saturated. So when more water comes in, you can't get rid of it in the ground, in the ditches or in a river because those are already full. So then it's really searching for where you can still get rid of it."
The Rivierenland Water Board, whose responsibilities include the Betuwe region, also notices seepage. "The high river levels are pushing up groundwater. About a third of the water we pump out is seepage water. On top of that, the Betuwe is like a bathtub between the rivers. Near Tiel, the water level of the Waal is about four meters higher than the dry inner dike area."
Eleven water boards have "scaled up. Especially in the east, extra people and resources were deployed. Water levels have been measured around the Regge, Dinkel and Vecht rivers that occur once every ten years. The water boards continue to work day and night to channel the water and drain it as quickly as possible. On Thursday, a high water peak of about 14.70 meters above sea level is expected at Lobith. This will move across the rivers through the Netherlands in the following days.
Rain is also predicted for the next few days. "It then depends on how much you have been able to pump out in the interim whether that will cause problems again," said Jongepier. "We take into account that the water levels will rise some more and the rivers will widen in places." The IJsselmeer, also called "the national rain barrel" by water managers, is so full that extra water is now being drained into the Wadden Sea, via the locks in the Afsluitdijk. Incidentally, Lisanne Verheijen, spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat, stresses that water safety in the Netherlands has not been compromised. "This kind of high water occurs more often in winter - that's why we have floodplains."