Less dredging and more nature through clever river groynes
The flexible groyne in the IJssel near Kampen does exactly what it is supposed to do: manage the river in a clever way. The Learning Space in the maintenance contract for the Twente Canals/IJssel Delta provided Rijkswaterstaat, Deltares, and BAM Infra Nederland with the impetus to make the innovation mature in practice. This way, the groyne, with its smart blocks, can contribute to sustainable river maintenance for a more beautiful Netherlands.
The flexible groyne is made up of Xstream blocks, which interlock due to their shape, creating a sturdy structure that is easy to build and adjust. They are an alternative to the traditional groyne made of sand, geotextile, gravel, and cobblestones. Hundreds of these traditional groynes are spread across the Dutch rivers to control the water, protect the banks, guide the river's course, and maintain the depth of the navigable channel. The traditional version cannot be easily adjusted, and this flexibility is precisely what is needed to address climate change.
