After months of hard work, we can start filling the Julianakanaal. On Thursday, March 27, 2025, the first drop of water will go back in. We would like to explain exactly how we do this.
Eventually, 2 billion liters of water must be returned to the drained section! We fill the canal from the temporary dam at Berg aan de Maas. Residents have been able to observe a lot of preparatory work in recent days. We partly supplied the materials for the work via water. In the port of Stein, the items were hoisted aboard a work ship and brought to the dam.
4 siphon pipes
The water is led over the temporary dam using 4 siphon pipes. The pipe draws water by means of a vacuum pump. This pump removes all air from the pipe, creating a vacuum. Once a vacuum is created, the water flows through the pipe without the aid of a pump.
The pipes have a diameter of 1 m. We can regulate the water using valves. In this way, we can precisely control the flow per pipe.
Protecting the bottom
To further protect the new bottom from the force of the water, we reinforced the bottom on the north side of the dam with concrete. We also placed 3 containers there. 3 pipes end here. You can compare it to sinks with a tap above them. The containers are meant to break the force of the water. As it flows over the edge of the container, the bottom of the canal is protected from water pressure.
The 4th pipe is only used when the canal bed is completely underwater. So no container is needed for this.
Ready for the future
Once the canal is refilled, we will begin removing the pumping installation, the pipes, and the containers. Then the temporary dam can also be dismantled. This is done from the west side. When the opening is large enough, the first ship can pass through in mid-April.
We also made an animation about the filling of the Julianakanaal. You can view it below.