ABSTRACT
Introduction In May 1997, the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) published its position paper on dams and the environment (ICOLD, 1997). The organisation states that ‘concern for the environment, including both natural conditions and social aspects, must be manifest from the first planning steps, throughout all phases of design and implementation, and during the entire operating life of a project’. This paper presents two case studies in the Southern Delta area of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt: the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier (completed in 1986) and the Dike Enforcement Project in the Western Scheldt (still in process). Figure 1 shows a map of the Delta area. The authors answer the question to what extend the planning and construction of the storm surge barrier and the dike enforcement meet ICOLD’s criteria.
