HIGH WATER CHANNELS

Implementing flood channels is one of the measures to counter flooding from the major rivers. A flood channel is a leveed area that branches off from a river to divert some of the water through a different route. A flood channel is a measure designed to lower the water level of a river during high water. The flood channel branches off from an existing river course and reconnects downstream with the river.
The Veessen-Wapenveld flood channel is a very effective measure that ensures sufficient water level reduction of the IJssel over a large stretch, up to Deventer and Zutphen. The channel is 8 kilometers long and 550 to 1,500 meters wide. The channel is not excavated but created by constructing two new dikes at floodplain height. The dikes of the flood channel are just as strong as the existing IJssel dikes.
The channel has an inlet at Veessen and an outlet at Gemaal Veluwe in Wapenveld. The land in the channel can simply be used by farmers for agriculture. Only when the IJssel water reaches a height of 5.65 m +NAP will the inlet be opened, allowing water to flow into the channel, thereby lowering the water level of the IJssel.
The channel was constructed at Veessen because it is a low-lying depression area where water can relatively easily be directed around the villages located along the IJssel dike. Relocating the existing dike is not possible here because the dike is situated on the high, broad riverbank, which would also have to be excavated. Additionally, there are many monumental farms ('IJssel farms') here that would need to be removed.

At the photo: Outlet of the Veessen-Wapenveld flood channel

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