8+North+Sea+Protection+Works

North Sea Protection Works Carolyn 

The North Sea Protection Works, sometimes called "Zuiderzee Works" consisting of many dams, floodgates, and surge barriers, was a massive project in the 20th century. It protects the Netherlands, which is below sea level, from flooding in severe storms. The Dutch have always used dams to protect the Netherlands from flooding, and within the last 100 years, new technologies have been developed to help these dams become more forceful. By the end of the 20th century, plans began to take place to build The North Sea Protection Works, and by 1984, the project was finished. The North Sea Protection Works was the largest hydraulic engineering project constructed by the Netherlands in the 20th century. The technology in the dam is likened to the United State’s first lunar landing. The magnitude of the project is like that of the Great Wall of China. Although The North Sea Protection Works is comparable to these world-wide known projects, its system is completely unique. This 19 mile, 100 yard thick dam was built surrounding the tidal inlet, Zuider Zee, in the 20th century. It was built to protect the Netherlands from flooding, and now provides numerous acres of farmland for the people living there. If the dam were not here today, it would be physically impossible to live near the Zuider Zee tidal inlet, and half the country would be flooded from the daily tides. The North Sea Protection Works protects and keeps the low-lying Netherlands from flooding. The Dutch constructed this project, which changed the Netherlands forever and saved not only its people but its creation too.