Determining the future functional requirements of a pumping-weir station with the help of data-analysis

Abstract

The pumping-weir complex at IJmuiden plays an important role in the drainage of excess water in the Western Netherlands. Multiple pumps need replacing as 4 out of 6 pumps near their end-of-life term. The optimal replacement strategy critically hinges on the future required pumping capacity. Yet, currently available models are not suited to assess the effect of sea level rise or extremer precipitation events as they ignore certain complexities of the water system. Preliminary data analysis in this paper showed the sensitivities of the system. The required pumping capacity is sensitive to the ability of free discharging during extreme water events. Yet, it is less susceptible to extremer precipitation events. Further research will aim at including more of the water system’s complexity in the model. Due to the node-like structure and high availability of data, a neural network modelling approach will probably be suitable.