The Spiegelwaal in Nijmegen was created to achieve safe water levels to prevent flooding in combination with meeting water quality standards. It has since then become a bustling hub for water recreation. With a new water sports centre, nearby residential construction, and the addition of a festival site, crowds are only growing. On top of that, climate change is causing increasingly warmer summers and residents of Nijmegen are seeking cooling at the Spiegelwaal.
Key Challenge
How can we facilitate shared use of the (Spiegel)Waal by different users, so that we can all enjoy the river and river park and ensure safety, accessibility, and biodiversity?
Realised Experiments
- Rowing Route Visibility: The rowing routes have been made visible on the Spiegelwaal. This way, other water users can clearly see which lane the rowers are using.
- Signs with Delighters: People are to be prevented from using bridge pillars as jump-platforms for fun.
- Visibility of Swimmers: Open-water swimmers were encouraged to make themselves more visible when swimming in the Spiegelwaal.
- Marking Risky Fishing Spots: Discussions were held with anglers about the areas where the risk of collisions with (fast) rowing boats is greatest.
- Alternative Diving Spot: An experiment was carried out to test the desirability of an alternative jumping spot.
Latest News
Find out more about the pilot area in our latest Project News.
Spiegelwaal is a wonderful place to relax, especially on sunny days like these! And when it gets really hot, people often cool off by taking a swim in this secondary channel. 🌊
At the beginning of July, a second user meeting with active users of the Spiegelwaal area took place.
At this moment, it’s still a bit chilly and windy, but in a few months, the Spiegelwaal area could become a real tropical spot to seek some cooling.
For the past few years, the area around the Spiegelwaal in Nijmegen has become a real hotspot! Especially during the summer season, it's a place for recreation, socializing, and cooling off on hot days.
On 22 September the water sports centre “Bastion” was officially opened and celebrated! After 12 years of planning and building, the time has now come that all water sports associations can finally use this incredible big and impressive building.