After starting my day with some Nutella and cucumbers, I waited for the arrival of our bus to Deltapark Neeltje Jans. Delta Works is a massive project around the Netherlands to protect the country from flooding during storms and high tides. Delta Works was mostly motivated by the flood of 1953, which we learned about at the Watersnoodmuseum on Sunday. We went today to a storm barrier, which is one of the most impressive projects of Delta Works. The storm barrier is showcased by a museum and a water park, which I found a bit strange.

We were given a guided tour around the museum, which explained the motivation for building the storm barrier and the engineering process behind the project. We then had a Dutch lunch in the museum consisting of bread, cheese, and lunch meat. Afterwords, we traveled by boat near the barrier and through the surrounding area. While on the water, we saw a family of seals. Following this adventure, we were free to roam the museum and park. We made the most of our time by visiting their aquarium, sliding down a water slide, and engaging in an interactive display of the flood of 1953.

This trip to Delta Works made me feel concerned. Of course, I was amazed by the hard work, collaboration, and feats of engineering that allowed the flood barrier to be a success. And so far, the project seems to be performing as expected to keep the coastal Netherlands safe. However, I can’t help but wonder how long this will be sustainable. Sea levels are only going to keep rising and storms are going to become more extreme as climate change worsens. At some point, this barrier, that cost millions of dollars and tons of resources, isn’t going to be effective. Nature doesn’t like being constrained by engineering. It is unrealistic to assume that the Dutch will just give up their land to nature, but I ask myself, what else can be done?

Tuesday 5/20/2025