Dr. Bursic
L06
FLOOD CONTROL OF STORM SURGES
Patrick Smith (pas132@pitt.edu)
1
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering 09-30-2014
Patrick Smith
point locations where barriers should be placed. From here,
“Four barriers and six secondary dams were built to close off
the mouths and inner reaches of the broad, long,
interconnected inlets…” [4]. Construction began in 1958 and
continued until 1997 [4]. Although current construction of
flood barriers has ceased in the Netherlands, research and
planning to improve the system is ongoing. Flood barriers,
levees, dams, and floodgates are so significant in the
Netherlands because the technology has prevented loss of
life and damage to land over the past few decades while also
providing many other advantages. Firstly, the barriers have
created a clean and precise balance between fresh and
saltwater in the North Sea [8]. Secondly, it has helped
draining in low areas which flooded regularly, providing
portable water for irrigation [7]. Lastly, traffic flow became
much easier between islands and peninsulas which had been
almost impossible to navigate before the construction of the
dams [8]. Although the project cost a total of $5 billion to
complete, the risk of flooding was reduced to 1 in 4,000
years [7].
DELTA WATER WORKS TO AMERICA
The United States has seen an increase in the
frequency as well as severity of storms and hurricanes over
the past few years. It had not been until 2005 when the
American government was forced to take action and
formulate a flood control plan after Hurricane Katrina
devastated New Orleans. Then again in 2012, Hurricane
Sandy roared up the East Coast causing widespread flooding
as a result of the largest storm surge New York and New
Jersey had seen in over a century [5]. These storm surges
have led engineers to look towards a technology that has
proven successful for many years in the Netherlands called
the Delta Water Works. This system consists of a large
collection of dams, levees, flood barriers, and floodgates
used to protect the low-lying lands of the Netherlands [7].
Years of civil and mechanical engineering have gone into
designing, planning, and construction of these massive sea
barriers, and the engineering has proven itself almost
flawless since the late 1970’s. I have spent the past 18 years
of my life living on Long Island where I have had a few
firsthand encounters with storm surges, particularly from
Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In this storm, New York City was
heavily damaged by the worst flooding they had seen in
years. It became obvious to both myself and the surrounding
area that a serious plan to create a flood control system
needed to be implemented to prevent further damage and
save potentially millions of dollars in the long run. The
Dutch have laid the pillars to engineer these flood barriers,
all we need to do is understand how the technology works
and implement it in our own environment.
HOW FLOOD BARRIERS OPERATE
The operation of the Delta Works is formed by
simple concepts, but includes complex civil and mechanical
engineering. In order to understand how these flood barriers
work, we will focus on two major barriers: The
Oosterschelde Barrier and the Maeslant barrier. Construction
of the Oosterschelde Barrier began in 1976 and ended in
1986. The barrier is 5.6 miles wide and 115 feet deep [1]. It
is “…the largest estuary to be closed in the Delta Project…”
[1]. The first step of construction began at the base where
the concrete pillars would be placed. Soils on the bottom of
the North Sea were replaced with sand fill [1]. Then,
foundation mattresses were laid out and polders were built at
the sand bank islands in the middle of the estuary [1]. Next,
the 65 pre-constructed piers, weighing 19,800 tons and about
the height of a 10-story building, were put into place [1].
Lastly, the rest of the components were placed in between
the piers including the 62 steel gates [1]. These gates are the
key to the working of the Oosterschelde Barrier. The gates
allow water to flow into the estuary, but when the threat of a
storm occurs, the gates are closed, completely sealing off
tidal flow into the estuary [1]. The sheer size and strength of
the barrier is what protects this area in the Delta. Similarly,
the Maeslant Barrier provides flood control but through a
different design. This barrier is located in the Nieuwe
Waterway and was constructed from 1990 to 1997 [6]. It has
2 swinging doors, both 248m long and 22m high, each
weighing 6,800 tons [6]. The retaining doors sit on a dry
dock on opposite banks of the waterway [6]. When a storm
poses a flood threat, water is let into the dry docks, enabling
the doors to float and be swiveled out into the waterway [6].
The gates meet each other halfway, and then let water into
their steel frames to sink the gates on to a sill constructed
hill near the bottom of the waterway [6]. This forms a single
HISTORY OF THE DUTCH DELTA
On February 1, 1953, a catastrophic flood occurred in the
southwestern Netherlands killing 1,835 people and
devastating 800 square miles of land [4]. The water also
flooded 9 percent of farmland and destroyed 10,000
buildings while 47,000 were damaged [4]. Twenty days
later, the Delta commission was inaugurated. This
committee was organized in order to create a plan for the
Delta area to prevent further flood and devastation following
the flood in 1953 [8]. “In 1959, the Delta Law was passed, in
order to organize the construction of the dams” [8]. This
started the Dutch era of flood barrier design and
construction, commonly referred to as Delta Works. Before
they were able to develop the technology and physical
barriers, the Dutch observed the landscape and created
estimates on future flood threats. “…Engineers took into
account that relative sea level has risen 10 to 20 centimeters
every 100 years for the past few centuries” [3]. From this
data, they determined the rate at which the sea level could
rise in years to come. Also observing the landscape, “Most
of the islands in the Southwest delta region lay between –2
and +5 m (–6.6 and +16.4 ft) elevation” [1]. Understanding
the weak points in the landscape enabled engineers to pin
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Patrick Smith
barrier 360m long across the waterway, completely
protecting the delta lands. When the threat is no longer
present, the water is pumped from the gates and they are
swiveled back onto the dry docks [6]. Both of these flood
barriers forced the Dutch to invest a great deal of time and
money, but the efficient and effective operation of the flood
control system has proven its worth.
until they learned to control the water [3]. The best and
easiest part of this topic is that the technology is already
there for us. It is up to young American engineers to go forth
and learn from the Dutch to mimic the fortress in the North
Sea and it in our own country.
NETHERLANDS TO NEW YORK
[1] M. J. Malcolm. (2012). Storm Surge Barriers to Protect
New York City: Against the Deluge. Reston, VA: ASCE.
(print book). pp. 182-203
[2] H. Meyer, I. Bobbink, S. Nijhuis. (2010). Delta Urbanism
The Netherlands. Chicago, IL: APA. (print book). pp. 35-39
[4] (2014). “Delta Project.” Encyclopedia Britannica. (online
article).http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/156854
/Delta-Project. p. 1
[5] J. McQuiad. (2012). “Dutch Solution for New York’s
Storm Surge Woes?.” Forbes. (online article).
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michelinemaynard/2012/10/30/
hurricane-sandy-marches-west-spreading-its-impact-on-theeconomy/. p. 1-2
[6] (2014). “Maeslant Barrier.” Structurae. (online article).
http://structurae.net/structures/maeslant-barrier. p. 1
[7] (2014). “Delta Works Flood Protection, Rhine-MeuseScheldt Delta, Netherlands.” Water-Technology. (online
article).
http://www.water-technology.net/projects/deltaworks-flood-netherlands/ p. 1-3
[8]
(2004).
“The
Delta
Works.”
Deltaweken.
http://deltawerken.com/Deltaworks/23.html p. 1-4
REFERENCES
This flood prevention technology can also be implemented
here in the United States. One area of particular concern is
Lower Manhattan in New York City. This area saw
extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Subway
systems were inundated, widespread power outages
occurred, and other widespread damage [5]. However, using
the Dutch model for engineering flood barriers, future storm
surge damage can be avoided. Douglas Hill, a Doctor in
Engineering Science, designed a floodgate to be placed in
the East River modeled after the Dutch Water Works [2].
This flood gate would consist of a gate resting on the bottom
of the river that could be raised by hydraulics in the event
there was a storm surge [2]. He concluded that it would have
minimal impact on marine traffic between the Whitestone
and Throgs Neck Bridges [2]. This would be able to
withstand a Category 4 hurricane with a return period of 150
years [2]. He also proposed a flood barrier to be placed in
the Rockaways, an area I am familiar with on Long Island.
The thought of possibly implementing Dutch flood control
technology in an area that has affected my life for many
years now is why flood control engineering is so important
to me. The safety of living on the coast of Long Island has
decreased in the past few years due to recent storms.
Millions of dollars in damage could have been saved if we
had a flood control system in place. The Dutch have
designed a fortress to control the North Sea, and now it is
time for engineers in America to build flood barriers on the
coasts of America. It is worth the time and money as lives
will be saved and damage expenses can be eliminated. The
technology is there thanks to the Dutch, already making it
easier for American engineers.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
No additional sources where used.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my grandparents for inspiring me to
write this paper. Their experience in Hurricane Sandy
motivated me to focus on this topic in engineering and
research the possibilities to make Long Island’s coastline a
safer place. I would also like to acknowledge my fellow
Navy Midshipmen as well as my roommates for supporting
me in writing this paper and providing me with additional
motivation to complete the paper on time with adequate
research.
DROWN OR BE DUTCH
Dutch Water Works flood control is a very well established
and proven technology that can be implemented in America
today. As a future engineer, this is a particular area that I am
serious about pursuing because the threat of storm surge has
had a direct impact on my life. Other engineers should also
be concerned with this surging flood threat due to a rapidly
changing climate. New York City is not a place where
damages will be minimal. It is imperative to act now in order
to prevent a repeat of what occurred in 2012 when Hurricane
Sandy caused tremendous flooding in New York and New
Jersey. The saying “Drown or be Dutch” implies that those
who lived in the Dutch Delta did not become its inhabitants
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