Third enlargement program of the river Scheldt
The Scheldt estuary is an international seaway that is partly located in the Flemish Region of Belgium and partlyin the Netherlands. Large ocean-going vessels travel up and down the estuary to and from Antwerp, a mainportsituated at about 80 km of the river mouth.After two previous deepening exercises (in 1970 and in 1997), a new agreement was signed on March 11th 2005by the responsible ministers of Flanders and the Netherlands, clearing the way for the third enlargement of thenavigation channel in the Scheldt Estuary. Dredging works are planned to start in 2007 and should be completedby the end of 2009. The Scheldt will then offer a tide-independent navigation draft of 13.10 meter, which willallow the Port of Antwerp to offer a better service to post-panamax vessels. The decision by the Flemish andDutch governments forms part of an all-embracing mutual approach for the Scheldt estuary, as outlined by the2010 Development Sketch based on three principles : accessibility, flood protection and nature conservation.The enlargement program includes deepening and widening of the navigation channel and the disposal of thedredged material resulting from both the capital and (extra) maintenance dredging works. Extensive studies arenow carried out by the Dutch-Flemish CONSORTIUM ARCADIS-TECHNUM (CAT) to examine what will bethe effect of the planned activities on the natural environment of the river. The results of these studies will beused to draw up a joint Dutch-Flemish EIA-document, that will serve as a basis for the decision-making processthat ultimately should lead to the most environment-friendly solution in dredge and disposal options.In this paper an overview is given of the methodology followed to arrive at an optimal project solution.