The aim of the project is to better understand how animal burrows affect the structural behaviour and safety of levees. This knowledge will support levee managers in making informed decisions about the detection, monitoring, prevention, and repair of animal burrows, both during routine management and high-water situations.
The project combines field investigations, knowledge of animal behaviour, and modelling of levee failure processes. Existing and new approaches for detecting and mitigating animal burrows are being investigated and evaluated. The results will provide a basis for practical, risk-based recommendations for levee managers affected by animal activity.
The knowledge developed within the project will be brought together in an open-access wiki platform for use by professionals and in education. In this way, Dieren in de dijk contributes to the development of more proactive and risk-based management of earthen flood defences and to the long-term safety of flood-prone areas in the Netherlands and Belgium.