We had quite the eventful day on 5/7! We left Amsterdam bright and early and drove east until we reached the city of Enschede in one of the Netherlands easternmost provinces. When we arrived, we were greeted by the students and faculty of University Twente whom we will be spending the next several days with.

We had the privilege of attending a lecture about why water retention is necessary here in the Netherlands, how these systems work, and specifically how one water retention system near us, Kristalbad, works. We then made the trek over to see Kristalbad ourselves to observe the systems in action.

To summarize our lecture, water retention systems in the Netherlands are crucial to maintaining daily activities. While Enschede is fortunate to be naturally above sea level, this is not the case for much of the country downstream. It is very important to make sure that rainwater and runoff that occurs here in Enschede does not overwhelm systems downstream in order to prevent flooding. The ideal solution is to allow water to percolate and drain into the sandy soil the Netherlands is rich in. However since Enschede is built into a hillside and water naturally wants to flow downstream, retention areas are necessary to catch and redirect this water to somewhere it can sit before it can percolate or be redirected elsewhere. This is the purpose Kristalbad serves. It is part of Dutch culture because it preserves human activities in the area and keeps people safe from flooding, thereby allowing Dutch culture to continue existing and developing independently of constantly facing massive floods.

As for sustainability, Kristalbad was also built to establish a thriving wetlands ecosystem. When it was installed, the land was not home to very much natural life. However with the introduction of water sources, plant life has begun to thrive in the area and numerous species of insects and waterfowl have moved in. Kristalbad is sustainable because it helps ensure that plant and animal resources will exist for future generations to see and enjoy.