The Woluwe valley is situated partly in Brussels and partly in Flemish Region (east of Brussels). The river basin is very densely populated. Therefore, the pressure on the water system is high. In the past, many retention basins were constructed. 
This makes the Woluwe valley one of the best protected basins in Flanders for return periods more than 100 year. In spite of the high protection level, the basin had to cope with flooding in the summer of 2005. The extreme rainfall events, probably caused by climate change, led to an overload of the water system. A modeling study helped to identify a large list of measures which are necessary to prevent this type of flooding. The question is if the cost of these measures is in proportion to the damage caused by flooding. And if not, what can be done in the basin to help the victims? The central question in the Woluwe valley is: ‘To what extent do we protect ourselves against flooding by means of infrastructural projects?’
This makes the Woluwe valley one of the best protected basins in Flanders for return periods more than 100 year. In spite of the high protection level, the basin had to cope with flooding in the summer of 2005. The extreme rainfall events, probably caused by climate change, led to an overload of the water system. A modeling study helped to identify a large list of measures which are necessary to prevent this type of flooding. The question is if the cost of these measures is in proportion to the damage caused by flooding. And if not, what can be done in the basin to help the victims? The central question in the Woluwe valley is: ‘To what extent do we protect ourselves against flooding by means of infrastructural projects?’
