De zachte zandmotor van de Workumer Buitenwaarden

The soft sand engine at the Workumer Buitenwaarden: This paper describes an innovative experiment in the Dutch IJsselmeer, along the coast of Workum, province of Fryslan. Twenty five thousand cubic meters of sand was supplied 200 meters off the coast in shallow water. The idea is that wave energy transports the sand to the coast were sedimentation creates a (semi)natural forelands. The hypothesis: “this (semi) natural foreland is more cost effective than direct landfill on the coast while reinforcing the protective function of coastal zone against f loods and improving ecological conditions” is tested. An extensive monitoring program covering hydro-morphological and ecological criteria, project cost and stakeholder opinion is installed to follow developments. First results show movement of sand in the direction of the coast, but at a slower velocity than expected. The experiment has a high impact on stakeholder involvement and learning.