Summary

As the year passes, keeping themselves afloat has become more challenging for the Netherlands. Climate change and sea level rise are primary factors influencing the maintenance and reinforcement of the country's dikes system. Therefore, a new Delta Plan has been implemented to make the dikes system climate-proof by 2050. Nevertheless, maintaining the dikes system is one of many problems the country faces. In 2022 a freshwater deficit was declared due to an average annual water shortage of 220 mm across the country.
However, the impact is felt more in the agriculture industry. The topic of this research is designing a dike where freshwater can be stored in the rural area near the village of Hoedekenskerke. The main research question is, how can a freshwater storage unit be integrated into a dike while ensuring compliance with Dutch flood safety standards?

An area analysis was performed in the project location. The project area was discovered to consist of an inlaagdijk meaning parallel dikes. A primary dike and secondary can be found in the location, creating the Hoedekenskerke polder. The soil conditions of the area are mainly sand, clay, and peat. Considering the fundamental failure mechanisms of overflow and overtopping, the dike's crest height must consider the sea level rise, the soil settlement, the storm surge level, and the wave run-up to prevent flooding.

Using the Bishop method, along with D-stability software, the dike's macro-stability is calculated. The worst scenario was considered for this calculation, where two situations were developed. The dike will have an inner berm in the first scenario, whereas in the second scenario, it will not. Resulting in different safety factors, which were then compared with the design safety factor calculated with the Bishop formula. The final result is situation two due to being the most optimal solution. The result will require less construction materials and space, reducing the construction cost.

There are several methods in which freshwater can be stored in combination with a dike. In this research, seven solutions were developed and graded by a MCA to find the most suitable solution. It was discovered that constructing an aquifer under the dike system is the most effective solution. Since it optimizes, space and a large quantity of fresh water can be stored.

To conclude, the Netherlands is looking towards developing innovations and preventing flooding. The climate is constantly changing, and the sea level seems to be rising; the country is creating solutions to fight this problem.