Sand Motor: pilot project for natural coastal protection
Why
- Sand Motor is an artificial peninsula off the coast of the Netherlands with an area of 128 ha.
- The peninsula ensures that the coast between Hook of Holland and Scheveningen can be restored naturally by accretion.
- The newly formed coastline will protect the country against the rising sea level.
- The process of widening the beach and the dunes has created an extra 35 ha of natural and recreational areas.
- We are using the pilot project to investigate whether nature can make an independent contribution to the maintenance of the coastline.
How
million m3 of deposited sand spread by the wind, waves and current
Sand Motor pilot is a succes
Is the Sand Motor a suitable alternative to our current coastal maintenance? The evaluation of the 10-year Sand Motor shows that the innovative Sand Motor pilot is a success! The area of 21.5 million m3 of sand was constructed in 2011 off the coast of Kijkduin, The Hague according to the Building with the Nature principle.
The pilot should indicate wind and currents along the coast and towards the coast to strengthen it on long term and to form a dynamic nature and recreation area. That worked. The evaluation shows that the coast is broadening, dune growth is developing well, and recreational users appreciate the area.
The Sand Motor also contributes to knowledge development about coastal management and maintenance and inspires other coastal protection projects worldwide. The link below is to a video in which we present the results of the 10-year investigation. Watch the video on YouTube.
When
| 2011 | 21.5 million m3 of sand deposited |
| 2016 | End of monitoring phase 1, initial readings known |
| 2021 | End of phase 2, final results known |
