Today we visited the Delta Works Museum/Park where we learned about the mechanism that they came up with to protect The Netherlands, and the surrounding lands, from storm surges. This came after the Floods of 1953, as these devastated many homes and killed over 1800 people after the wind direction, wind force, and tidal cycle came together. The Delta Plan shortens the coastline by 700 km in order to protect the delta of 3 major west European rivers, while also protecting the ecosystem.

The original plan was to create a closed dam, however they decided to instead make an open dam that allowed for the barriers to move up or down depending on the height of the water. The base of the structure was a blanket of stones with layers increasing in size called a stone filter sill, which allowed for a stable base that the pillars would not sink into while also still allowing water to pass through the holes. On top of that lies the 65 pillars, which required 18,000 tons of cement and four years to build. When the water reaches a certain height, the barriers are initiated and moved down in order to create the temporary dam that protects the land.

This project could be considered sustainable as it focuses on preserving the land and structures instead of just moving somewhere else with more favorable conditions. However, given the amount of time, money, and materials put in to make such a fortified structure, the storm surge barrier cannot be altered in the future when sea levels rise more significantly, not making it sustainable in that sense. While not exactly part of the museum, there were a significant number of wind turbines on the land there and in the surrounding region, which are a good contributor to clean energy. Although some aspects of the barrier may not be sustainable, it is an impressive innovation that has successfully protects the inlands over the last almost 40 years!