Dutch Coastal Defense
March 7th, 2018
The Dutch coastal project using sand to defend against erosion and sea level rise.
New Harmony is interested in the Dutch projects to building natural coastal defenses. They are proactively planning for the effect climate change will have on their coast. We want to study what Louisiana can learn from the Dutch approach!
Louisiana and the Netherlands both need to keep their coastal defenses strong to protect from storm surge.
The Netherlands is preparing for the sea-level rise from warming ocean temperatures by building a “Sand Motor”. Waves sweep the sand into barriers along the coast creating wider beaches and forming sand dunes. Sand can also absorb and purify water which can aid with flood prevention and supplying clean water to citizens.
Louisiana recently completed a similar coastal sand project on a smaller scale by rebuilding the Caminada headland.