As a place surrounded by water, Lemvig Municipality is showing the rest of the country what a climate-proofed seafront harbour could look like.
Thyborøn in Lemvig Municipality is among the most vulnerable Danish cities when it comes to coastal flooding, as the city is surrounded by water. The municipality has therefore initiated a number of projects to future-proof the city against rising sea levels, stronger rainstorms, land subsidence and elevated groundwater levels. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges, Lemvig Municipality is developing a dynamic climate adaptation model, using geophysical mapping as well as satellite surveillance of land subsidence and rising water levels. The model is expected to be completed in 2019.
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YEAR FLOOD EVENT CAN BE WITHSTOOD BY "LE MUR" IN THE HARBOR
Lemvig Municipality is also threatened by the natural expansion of the Thyborøn Canal and by rising sea levels leading to increasing storm surge levels in Western Limfjord. By 2060, the coastal communities in Limfjord are expecting storm surge levels up to 60 cm higher than today’s levels. A long-term solution may be to narrow Thyborøn Canal to thereby lower the storm surge level, thus protecting citizens living along the coast of Limfjord. Municipalities and utility companies located around Western Limfjord are partnering together on a solution.
While waiting for the long-term solution, the municipality has built “Le Mur” (“The Wall”) in 2012 to safeguard Lemvig harbor. The concrete wall runs along the harbor and creates inclusive urban spaces such as a marketplace, playgrounds and ball game areas. The wall already proved its worth in 2013 when storms hit the country.
In Lemvig, citizens contribute to climate projects; their ideas have so far led to a skate park, station for veteran trains, performance podium and a crab basin.
How the Global Goals are addressed
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
The project is developing a method to prevent pipeline rupture and fallbacks in underground water infrastructure. This is expected to be marketed globally to areas facing the same challenges.
Sustainable Cities and Communities
The project builds resilience in coastal towns and empowers citizens to tackle future extreme weather events, thereby strengthning local efforts to preserve cultural and natural heritage.
Life below Water
The project examines the consequences for aquatic and coastal ecosystems together with all relevant NGOs and experts in order to minimize harmful impact.
Lemvig Municipality
Lemvig is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark.
Global Goals addressed
