Author(s): N. Douben; S. E. Werners
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Decision support system; Fairway management; Maintenance dredging; Morphological predictions; Relative benefits; River Rhine; Water level predictions
Abstract: The river Waal, the largest Rhine branch in the lower delta is the most important shipping route in the Netherlands. It connects the Rotterdam harbour with the German Ruhr area. Due to economic growth and the improved accessibility of eastern Europe shipping on the river Rhine will continue to increase in the future. As a result the fairway dimensions of the river Waal have to be enlarged. At an ‘Agreed Low River Level', the minimal depth should be increased from 2.50 to 2.80 metres and the minimal width from 150 to170 metres. The fairway enlargement will be achieved through several river engineering measures of which dredging is the most important. The development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for dredging on the river Rhine (Waal) is now in progress. It will be fully operational by the end of 2002. The concept of the DSS as a sediment tool, is based on the combination of bed level monitoring-data on the one hand with simplified water level and morphological predictions on the other hand. With the DSS, decisions can be made on whether dredging is necessary during critical low-water periods and after floods. Furthermore, the DSS analyses dredging and dumping strategies, maintains a database with dredging information, determines relative economic benefits and visualises the effects of different strategies.
Year: 2001