Delta Life 8

DELTARES, OCTOBER 2017 31 How long does it take for a Dutch dike with an old asphalt revetment to fail? The first Storm Test in the Delta Flume should provide an answer to this question. Forty-year-old asphalt from the Wadden Sea dike near the Lauwers­ meer lake was brought to Delft specially for the experiment. Tests are being conducted in the flume by battering the revetment with heavy waves to find out how long it takes to fail. The results should tell us whether the asphalt in place now will be strong enough in the decades to come, or whether it needs replacing. Some hundreds of kilometres of dike in the Netherlands have revetments of this kind. The Storm Test could save millions of euros. The results are expected in late September. STORM TEST ON WADDEN SEA DIKE Does the water in the canal smell differently than usual? What lives in the ditch behind the house? And can you drink water from the pond in the Vondel Park? Five hundred Amsterdammers are being given the opportunity to study the water in their city. With such a large number of researchers working at the same time, more and faster insights will be generated into the quality of the water in the city. Hot weather or showers have an effect on water quality and this will no doubt be clear to see in the measurement results after the monitoring period. The study is interesting for everybody concerned. The citizen scientists will learn about the city's water system and the professional researchers will acquire more data that they can use to improve water management. The results for the monitoring period will be announced during the Science Weekend. More information: www.hetschonewaterexperiment.nl Which strategies can be used to make South Holland climate-resilient? How should we face the challenge of land subsidence? How can the energy transi- tion be shaped in the decades to come? The province of South Holland and Deltares will be pooling their resources to make the province climate-resilient. The memorandum of understanding for 2017-2019 was established to build up practical knowledge and establish action perspectives. CLIMATE-RESILIENT SOUTH HOLLAND CITIZEN SCIENCE FOR WATER QUALITY