The Schelde Estuary pilot study area covers the tidally influenced part of the River Schelde (or Scheldt). The river flows from France through Belgium (Zeeschelde) until it reaches the Westerschelde in the Netherlands.
The overall purpose of the pilot study was to develop and test FLOODsite methodologies and tools on the Schelde Estuary.
More specific objectives included:
Risk analysis – to study the future vulnerability of those living and working along Schelde Estuary to flooding, taking into account both changing hydraulic conditions and land development scenarios;
Assessment – to evaluate sustainable flood management strategies in association with stakeholders; and
Transition – to provide guidelines on how to manage the transition towards the implementation of these strategies.
The crucial policy challenge for the estuary is how to accommodate present needs and future developments whilst:
Minimising flood risk,
Ensuring sufficient navigability, and
Preserving the natural environment.
The pilot study focused on three aspects of flood risk management:
As well as the tasks mentioned above, the pilot study worked in collaboration with a number of other tasks providing a valuable opportunity to test analysis methods or models. Further details are provided on the Research page.
Summary information regarding this pilot study is available in the following languages:
