USACE, Dutch and French Embassy Officials Mark Century of Partnership at Poplar Island

BALTIMORE — A delegation from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Embassy of France toured Poplar Island on July 1, 2026, to study dredged material beneficial reuse and ecosystem restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay — part of an ongoing partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Dutch water management authorities spanning more than a century.

The delegation, led by Bastiaan van den Berg, Counselor for Transportation and the Environment at the Dutch Embassy, included additional embassy staff from both the Netherlands and France. LTC Mark Pollak, Deputy District Engineer for USACE Baltimore District, along with Civil Engineer Alex Baldowski and Biologist Seth Keller, hosted the visit.

Poplar Island is restoring 1,715 acres using dredged material from Chesapeake Bay navigation channels, creating a mix of wetland and upland habitat. The project, part of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership formed in 1983, serves as a model for beneficial reuse efforts region-wide, including the companion Mid-Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project at James and Barren Islands.

Van den Berg noted the Netherlands' own Rijkswaterstaat recently completed a comparable artificial island project, Marker Wadden, and drew parallels between the two nations' engineering approaches to water infrastructure.

"We have already established a partnership of over 100 years old," van den Berg said, noting the relationship was formalized following Hurricane Katrina, when the Netherlands delivered emergency pumping stations to New Orleans.

"From an engineering standpoint, Poplar Island demonstrates how dredged material can be strategically placed to build stable, resilient habitat at scale," said Baldowski, Civil Engineer, USACE Baltimore District. "The adaptive design approach has allowed the project to expand beyond its original footprint while maintaining long-term erosion control and habitat performance — lessons that directly inform how we're planning beneficial reuse strategies for upcoming Mid-Bay work."

USACE Baltimore District and Dutch water authorities continue to collaborate on large-scale water infrastructure and environmental restoration projects, building on decades of shared engineering expertise between the nations.