MDK project manager Elias Van Quickelborne told VRT NWS that the sand on the beaches and dunes washed away by the storms and storm surges needs to be replaced: “We have noticed that Ostend’s beach buffer is greatly reduced and that is due to the storms last week.
The so-called beach buffer is important to protect the dike, but also to prevent the water from coming over the dike during storms. This water would then flow into the center of Ostend, because it is lower than the dyke.
This is maintenance work that needs to be repeated every 5 years, but now, after those severe storms and storm surges, things are urgent. Now a dredger (photo below) will siphon off sand from a sandbank in the North Sea. This sand is then sprayed onto the beaches with a pressure line and distributed with excavators and bulldozers.
A total of 600,000 m³ of sand will be sprayed and distributed in Ostend and 240,000 m³ each in Koksijde and De Haan. This is done in the spring of every 5 years to ensure coastal protection and to eliminate storm damage. The work, which will cost around €18.5 million, should be completed by the Easter holidays, when the tourist season starts.
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