ABSTRACT
The dutch are famous for their water management. Living for many centuries with a large part of their country below sea level, they have had to find ways to protect residents and property against flooding. From the beginning, it was clear that the only way to manage water problems was to work together, sharing responsibilities, money, and efforts (van de Ven 2004). The Dutch eventually came up with the polder model (see Chapter 9), and water management in the Netherlands is still organized around this model, although this may change in the future because of the influence of European Union (EU) environmental and water law. The Dutch are renowned not only for their cooperation-based methods, but also for their technical knowledge. They have successfully developed the technology to live in a delta below sea level, construct polders, and build dikes.
