This part has a local case studies of spatial management in river areas, showcasing how the different policies translate to implementation in practice.
De doorbraak – waterboard Vechtstromen and municipality Almelo[i], [ii]
The project called ‘the breakthrough’ is acting as an example project for future large investment projects and lauded by the Delta Commissioner. Multiple stakeholders invested in creating a completely new 13km long stream through four municipalities. Likewise, it has multiple functions, namely to store water and protect the city Almelo from floods, and to act as nature and recreation area. It was mainly made possible by having the government purchase farm lands when people were willing to move or trade lands. The project was completed, and evaluated in 2018 on the following aspects:
· Content: to what extent were the intended goals and results reached?
· Management: how were time, money, organization, risks, quality, and communication managed? When were which decisions made?
· Rounding up: To what extent was the project finished and which activities remain?
From a financial perspective some goals were met and some were not. The budget was overdrawn by 11.7 million euros to a total of 52.5 million euros. However, nearly 50% of these costs were funded by external partners. Despite its runtime of several years, the project timeline was extended by only a few months. While the water is not running through completely, the safety goals are met. There is now room for additional water storage of 320,000 m3 and 600 hectares for flooding. The natural design of the area is aligned with the goals of the Ecological Main Structure policy guidelines and is performing beyond expectations as several rare species have been observed. Additional benefits include a better division of farmlands between owners, and increased tourism and recreation. The strengths mentioned are the great internal and external cooperation between many different stakeholders, the attention to communication, and the focus on results. Improvement points include managing expectations, waiting for support from other stakeholders, and having a single clear message per organization.
Figure: Image of the route of the project De Doorbraak[iii]
