This study explores the effect of precipitation, evaporation, animal burrowing and the changing climate on the permeability of the clay cover layer on a dike. It also showcases the possibility of utilizing finite difference flow models, such as MODFLOW, for the simulation of various environmental impacts …

1. Topics of interest were defined following a risk based approach. 2. Study priorities were set based on knowledge gaps in current practices, but they were conditioned by pragmatic limitations. 3. Focus topics : failure modes, detection and monitoring and repairs. 4. Serious failures can occur in sections …

Engineers design levees without taking into account animal activity. But in reality: *Levees attract burrowing animals *Many of them are protected (e.g. beavers) *It is not always easy to detect burrows and remove them Topics of interest are: 1. Eco engineering approaches for deterrence of animals …

Animal burrows create discontinuities on the body of earthen levees that under certain circumstances can threaten their structural integrity through hydraulic alteration and surface erosion. Although it is a virtually established fact that discontinuities can undermine the structural integrity of levees, …

Infosheet. When high water is expected, levee managers need to make sure that there are no weak spots on the levee that can compromise its structural integrity. Animal burrows on a section can constitute weak spots that have to be urgently repaired in anticipation of high water. Within the context of …

Infosheet. Within the context of animal burrows surveys that took place in the test season 2021-2022 in the living lab Hedwige-Prosperpolder, an experimental setup with smoke bombs was developed to verify whether detected burrows by small rodents are interconnected in the subsurface. By injecting colored …