Staatsbosbeheer has filed a lawsuit against Rijkswaterstaat about sheet piling in the Zwarte Water, between the Overijssel cities of Hasselt and Genemuiden. The nature manager confirms this on Saturday after reporting Fidelity. The first session is next Thursday.
Rijkswaterstaat wants to install steel sheet piles along the banks at four to five locations to create areas where fish are less affected by waves. Staatsbosbeheer is afraid that the walls are bad for reeds, fish and mammals such as otters and beavers, and that they also influence the groundwater flows. The plan does not have the desired ecological effect, the organization writes in a statement.
According to Fidelity it is the first time that Staatsbosbeheer has taken Rijkswaterstaat to court, but the Staatsbosbeheer spokesperson cannot say for sure. “We work well together on many fronts,” he emphasizes. “But after many discussions we have not come out.”
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