Afsluitdijk

So I mentioned a multidisciplinary project in my last post.  I'm working on a saltwater intrusion mitigation project in the IJsselmeer, a giant man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands.  It was created when they built a dam (the Afsluitdijk) over 30 km long, closing off the link between the North Sea and the River IJssel.  Now the lake is fresh, but they open sluices in the dam to let diadromous fish (like salmon) pass.  This means saltwater can get into the lake (which is now used for irrigation), and our task is to slow the spread of saltwater and pump it back out.

Last week we went on a site trip to see what we're dealing with.  The thing is REALLY long, and since it's in the north, we stopped by some other cool sites along the way.

These are the armor stones they use.  They're actually 2-m basalt
columns from Germany, and they don't overturn because they're buried.
So cool.

Huge dijk.  On the right is the North Sea.
On the left, about 2m lower is a town.

Cafe & monument in the center of the Afsluitdijk.
Ice on the lake side (not the ocean side, though!  Cool!)

Warning at lock complex at Lorentz Sluices (E. Afsluitdijk).
Oh, Americans...

Lorentz Sluice Complex.
We got to sneak in since the highway was under repair.

Also, this week a bunch of structures started appearing in the Civil Engineering building.  Things I know:  Civil Engineers know how to drink.  The Dutch know how to drink.  Dutch Civil Engineers...  They build 4m towers of Heineken cases all over the building...  Geez.

For the children!?