Protecting an Estuary from Floods - A Policy Analysis of the Oosterschelde

The sixth volume in a series of reports describing the methodology and results of a joint research venture between RAND and the Netherlands Rijkswaterstaat. The POLANO project was founded to help the Dutch government analyze the different alternatives (open, closed, and storm-surge barrier cases) for protecting the Oosterschelde region from North Sea floods. Volume VI considers a variety of impacts for the different alternatives, including the effect on jobs and profits in the fishing industry; changes in recreational opportunities and demand; savings to the carriers and customers of the canal shipping industry; total (direct plus indirect) changes in production, jobs, and imports for the 35 industrial sectors of the national economy; and, as social impacts, the displacement of households and activities and the disproportionate effects on the regional economy. The main conclusion of this report is that most of these effects would be minor--and some even beneficial.