Deltalife 13

27 involved closely and listening to their suggestions at an early stage established support. De Fockert explains: 'Of course, some people were opposed: this was a drastic operation. Even so, there is usually a lot of understanding about the need to strengthen dikes. And yes, there is a lot of disruption: everything gets dug up. But once the work is done, the area is left neat and tidy, and local residents are happy because they feel safe.' Lesson 2: Look ahead and talk to other government organisations early When it's time to upgrade a dike, get the municipal and provincial authorities involved straightaway, advises Merks. 'It makes sense to pool your resources, even when the details and costs are still unclear. You can prevent a lot of disruption and save a lot of money. Government agencies can try to coordinate agendas and take each other's spatial plans into account. During dike upgrades, there can be opportunities to implement other plans at the same time.' For example, if there is a busy road on the dike that is used by cars, cyclists and pedestrians. In this case, the residents wanted a separate cycle path. The water authority was happy to include one in the plans but it needed more financing. In the end, the provincial authority of South Holland provided the money needed. And Streefkerk wanted to expand the marina. That was easy to do during the dike upgrade. 'It sometimes happens that there are plans to build a residential area near a dike, but that a dike upgrade will only be needed later,' saysMerks. 'It's a good idea to see whether the two plans can be coordinated, or to raise the dike now together. That prevents disruption for the residents later. And, in the long run, it savesmoney.' Lesson 3: Sit down and talk to the contractor early Water authorities usually make plans for dike upgrades and then they go looking for a contractor to do the job. This project was no exception. 'Although the project was completed quite smoothly, we became convinced along the way that things could have been done better,' says De Fockert. He is now working on a dike upgrade project on the Waal river north of Nijmegen. The plans there were made together with the contractor. 'Contractors are in a better position to see what is practical and so we have saved time.'