Dave,

On Sun, 4 Sep 2005 16:52:40 -0500, David Van Horn wrote:

>...< 
> Hasn't Holland had this problem for a long time? 
> If anyone has solved it, they would have.

And how!  I believe about 25% of the Netherlands is below sea level.  The "Delta Plan" is reckoned to be the 
most ambitious tide barrier in the World.

They can close off the whole of what is effectively the mouth of the Rhine from the North Sea to keep out 
surge tides (like the one in 1953 that flooded vast areas and killed hundreds of people in the Netherlands and 
England), but it has to be controllable because most of the time the river has to be allowed out to the sea, 
and the gates are open most of the time.  It's a staggering piece of engineering, and cost a fortune - but it 
was that or risk losing vast amounts of the country if (when!) it happens again.

Cheers,


Howard Winter
St.Albans, England


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