Beaches and Dunes
Hondsbossche Dunes Petten, the Netherlands
Having been categorized as one of the ten weakest points along the Dutch coastline, the Hondsbossche and Pettemer sea dike no longer met safety standards. The structure would need to be fortified to stand 4 meters higher and 20 meters wider; if these specifications were met, the dike was projected to then be capable of withstanding a one-in-tenthousand-year superstorm, one of the Dutch government’s safety requirements. However, the existing infrastructure behind the dike made these modifications unfeasible. Instead, the regional water board opted to strengthen the coastline itself by creating broad dunes and beaches. A soft, natural barrier of 30 million cubic meters of dredged sand was placed on the sea side of the dike by EcoShape to create a soft, shallow foreshore with a variety of dune habitats. The newly strengthened shoreline—including the dike—was completed in 2015, then renamed “Hondsbossche Dunes.” Shortly afterwards, an innovation project was set up, running from 2015 to 2018. The aim of this project was to learn more about efficient sand nourishment that contributes added value to nature and leisure.
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