{"id":50605,"date":"2026-05-04T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/?post_type=blog&p=50605"},"modified":"2026-04-29T16:09:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T14:09:56","slug":"aquatic-sediment-studies-a-new-responsibility-for-owners-operators-and-managing-authorities","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/en\/news\/aquatic-sediment-studies-a-new-responsibility-for-owners-operators-and-managing-authorities\/","title":{"rendered":"Aquatic sediment studies: a new responsibility for owners, operators and managing authorities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The quality of our watercourses is under greater scrutiny than ever before. Flanders has a dense and complex network of watercourses, the vast majority of which \u2013 an estimated 95% \u2013 are non\u2011navigable. In 2024, the 2006 Soil Decree was amended, with major implications for how sediment contamination is investigated and remediated in these non\u2011navigable watercourses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For owners, operators, authorities and watercourse managers, this brings greater clarity, but also increased responsibility.<\/p>\n

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Why sediment investigations are becoming more important<\/h2>\n

The sediment layer consists of the solid part of the soil and deposited material. Contaminated sediment or sludge may contain hazardous substances<\/strong> that can be released under certain conditions, such as low flow rates or dredging. In this way, contamination can affect water quality once again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A watercourse is a dynamic system: sediment and surface water influence each other\u2019s quality. This interaction can occur through, among other things, bank erosion, sediment input, discharges and maintenance works.<\/p>\n

Sediment investigations enable us to determine<\/strong>:<\/p>\n