page_title: Aa (Meuse)
section_title: Latest developments
hierarchical_section_title: Aa (Meuse) / History / Latest developments
caption_attribution_description: English: The Aa as it dives below the Maxima Canal. The Maxima canal is visible through the handrail on the dyke. The concrete jutting out into the Aa denotes the four culverts that lead below the Maxima Canal. On this side the dyke is concrete faced and protected by weathering steel. Nederlands: De Aa zoals ze onder het Maxima Kanaal duikt. Het kanaal is zichtbaar door het hek op de dijk. De betonnen muren die in de Aa uitsteken geven de vier buizen aan die de Aa onder het Maxima Kanaal doorleiden. De dijk is aan deze zijde met beton bekleed en heeft een afscheiding van cortenstaal.
context_page_description: The Aa is a small river in the Netherlands. It rises near Nederweert in the southeastern province of Limburg, in the Peel region. It flows northwest through the province of North Brabant towards 's-Hertogenbosch, roughly along the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. In 's-Hertogenbosch, at the confluence of the Aa and the Dommel, the river Dieze is formed, which flows into the Meuse a few km further. The main cities and towns along the Aa's course are Asten, Helmond, Veghel and 's-Hertogenbosch.
context_section_description: In 1995 heavy rainfall upstream caused that the highway A2 near 's-Hertogenbosch was flooded for two weeks. In addition, there were fears that a massive evacuation would be required. One of the causes was a policy which had centered on getting rid of excess water as soon as possible, and to trust in technical measures to solve any problems. The events of 1995 changed this policy, and created focus for spillover areas, meandering, and restoration of streams and brooks. The aim is to prevent flooding by slowing drainage, and by temporarily storing excess water in spill over areas. 
  For the Aa it meant that many improvements for navigability, or to increase the speed with which it drains water downstream, had to be reverted. This was coordinated in the project 'Dynamisch Beekdal' (Dutch for dynamic brook-valley), which was executed from 2002 to 2017. The project made rigorous changes to the Aa from Heeswijk Castle to 's-Hertogenbosch. It combined safety measures with measures to restore the ecology of the river.
  Meanwhile, the new Maxima Canal, opened in 2014, was dug straight through the bed of the Aa. The Aa was led below it, and so all navigation on the Aa east of the Maxima canal ended. In light of the intensity of recreational water traffic on the Aa in 's-Hertogenbosch, this is probably an advantage.
caption: Aa - Maxima Canal crossing
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