Why are the Dutch So Good at Waterworks?

🌊 A look at some of the most impressive flood control projects on Earth

Do the Dutch really have the rest of the world outclassed when it comes to waterworks?

Practical Engineering is a YouTube channel about infrastructure and the human-made world around us. It is hosted, written, and produced by Grady Hillhouse. We have new videos posted regularly, so please subscribe for updates. If you enjoyed the video, hit that ‘like’ button, give us a comment, or watch another of our videos!

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DISCLAIMER
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This is not engineering advice. Everything here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Contact an engineer licensed to practice in your area if you need professional advice or services. All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

SPECIAL THANKS
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Huge thanks to Frauke Hoss and Kim Berghout for help with Dutch pronunciations.
This video is sponsored by Ground News.
Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Shutterstock, Pond5, and Videoblocks.
Tonic and Energy by Elexive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Video by Grady Hillhouse
Edited by Wesley Crump
Produced by Ralph Crewe
Graphics by Nebula Studios

[RacingSlow]

Because they’ve mastered the art of dam good engineering

[jestrizr]

There's a plaque at the Deltaworks reading “Hier gaan over het tij, de maan, de wind en wij“ (“Here the tide is ruled by the moon, the wind and us”) which is incredibly badass imo.

[unvergebeneid]

The Dutch had a choice of becoming really good at controlling water or really good at breathing water and elected the former.

[dannyrasmussen]

As a Dutch engineer raised in Flevoland, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for this brilliant portrayal of the Dutch waterworks. Few people truly grasp the scale, ingenuity, and sheer audacity required to tame water and transform it into an ally rather than an adversary.

Growing up on land reclaimed from the sea, I’ve always felt a profound connection to the legacy of Dutch engineering. Flevoland itself stands as a testament to the vision and determination of those who dared to dream of a new province where there was once only water. Watching this video reminded me of the intricate balance between respecting nature’s power and harnessing it for the benefit of future generations.

The way you captured this story—the precision, the respect for history, and the acknowledgment of the Dutch tenacity—is truly inspiring. It’s not just about dikes, dams, or pumping stations; it’s about the unwavering belief that we can shape the world, even against all odds.

Thank you for shedding light on this fascinating legacy. As someone who has walked these polders, studied these structures, and lived the reality of this ingenuity, I couldn’t be prouder to see it shared with the world.

[hafizamran]

as a Malaysian who constantly flooding, watching this engineering marvel is very fascinating.

[trotskiftw]

I grew up in the UK in a little village built on a marsh. Half my village (street names, cafes, health clinics, etc) were named after a dutch engineer who came over in the 1650s to drain the land. Was commissioned by the crown up and down the country to drain the land for agriculture. They've been top of the game for some time.

[kociamber]

As an American water engineering student who studied civil engineering at UConn and am now doing my Master's thesis at TU Delft in urban waterworks I have never clicked on a video faster than this one, thanks Grady!

[richard_n]

I can't think of any major water related construction world wide that doesn't have at least one Dutch consultant working on it. They really are the masters of water related engineering.

[BilgeDweller]

Grady, retired marine engineer here, who has friends in Rotterdam and Venice. I've maintained since forever that if Venice and New Orleans were really serious about dealing with their water issues, both would be engaging Dutch engineering firms. The comments are spot on, the Dutch "do" do it better!

[screamingbirdheart]

As a citizen of the Netherlands, most of the time, i just take the waterworks for granted. It's here all the time. Wherever you look, you will be able to see some form of waterworks. Even as a construction engineer, i forget what we have achieved as a country. Seeing other people be amazed of it, always reminds me of the privilege we have to live in the best engineering country of the world.

Loved your video. Enjoyed it 🎉🎉🎉

[randomviewer]

Fun fact. Along rivers you can easily spot which houses were built from before many of the water works. If the entire ground floor has a tile flooring, you know its been designed to easily clear out the water. If it has a wood floor, its from after. Also the project "room for the river" is amazing. Not only does it help with protection against water, it also creates pretty cool nature thats used to be flooded a few times a year, but also staying dry. Almost all are accessible to walk in and enjoy nature.

[MrMattie]

As a kid a read about the 1953 flood, I visited the Delta Works and did a presentation on them for my class. That might have been the start of my engineering career.
It's hard to say as a Flemish person, but I'm now proud to work for a 137 years old, Dutch civil engineering firm :D

[blauw]

5:45 I'm Dutch and I'm impressed that you didn't include the Noord-Oost polder in your graphic about creating the afsluitdijk, so many other educational videos from outside the Netherlands miss it because there are no border lakes around it. So you deserve praise for excluding it.

[WarthogARJ]

EXCELLENT video. I lived in Netherlands for 5 years and there are many examples of Dutch engineering to deal with water. And it's holistic from subsidised swimming programs (to help people survive falling into canals etc), to carrying glass hammers in cars to aid in escaping if your car ends up in a canal.

[lhagun]

i live in Mongolia, a landlocked country with no direct access to ocean.
closest sea is almost 1000 km away.
Biggest water i have ever seen was 300m wide river 😅.
those massive body of water, and engineering wonders are truly amazng.

[EmileNijssen-lv]

I love the cost comparison. That comparison to Katrina is actually fairly apt, because corrected for inflation and land value, that would roughly be the current cost were the Watersnoodramp to happen again in the same spot, maybe even more. And actually, if you add the fact that water management is a local industry and an export, those costs aren't even as high - we MAKE money doing this. Partially, at least.

Love to see this and well done on at least attempting pronunciations. And if you think our water management is world class, wait until you see our roads and other infrastructure.

[game-tea]

Funny thing, water is so ingrained in our history and culture that our oldest political bodies are the regional water councils. The first big one dates back to 1255 and still exists today. Hell, water policy is so important to us the water councils daily- and general management are democratically voted for every 4 years.

[leonkrouwel]

Another fun fact, besides the comment about tiled floors: Old farms had flood-doors, placed on the first story of the farm: when a flood was eminent, a ramp was put op and the livestock was put on the first floor, using the ramp and flood-door.

[jlammetje]

I used to have a teacher who was a little boy in 1953 in Zeeland. He would tell stories of the frightening times when the water came. It was awe inspiring to hear about the force of the water, and put in context how proud we can be as Dutch of our engineer ancestors :)

[MattMarshallUK]

Great video! On your point about using history as a guide to what could happen, I was the Project Manager for several years on a flood risk management scheme which completed a couple of years ago (long after I left the project). Part of the project comprised an upstream storage area, which seemed so oversized compared to the watercourse and so many people doubted it, but this is what the modelling said was needed for a 1 in 100 year standard of protection. About a year ago, an ex-colleague showed me CCTV screenshots of the storage area filling up during heavy rainfall - the first time it had become operational. I was so happy seeing that picture. So much hard work went into getting it designed and built, and now it was holding back water which may otherwise have flooded peoples houses. What's more, planning applications are going in all over the place to develop brownfield land downstream, which has been derelict due to the risk of flooding - a problem now mitigated. In the early days of the project even I had my doubts on what difference a scheme like that could make to a really deprived area, but now the benefits are clear. Investing in infrastructure like this just makes economic sense.