The Port of Antwerp-Bruges redevelops polluted site to restore valuable habitat and provide flood protection
16 May 2022
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges redeveloped Fort Sint-Filips polluted site to restore valuable habitat and provide flood protection. The site was polluted through years of dumping oil waste and the contamination was stored on site within an underground, watertight wall of bentonite cement to avoid unnecessary transport to a treatment centre.
In order to protect the city of Antwerp and the port area around the fort from flooding, a dike and a higher flood defence wall were built around the site. Downstream from the fort, an estuary was created by the construction of a low stone dam, stimulating the development of a 20 hectares tidal habitat (mud flats and salt marshes) in the Scheldt. The construction of the dam was made possible by reusing dredged material previously dumped on the site.
The project was supported by European funding through the Smartsediment initiative.
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