The Netherlands coast - Present

The windmills used to drain the lakes were adapted from corn mills used as early as the 14th century. An important technological innovation was the placement of multiple windmills in series allowing drainage of ever deeper lakes. Many lakes required groups of 3 to 4 windmills in series to keep the lowest areas dry. 

Lying south of Amsterdam, Lake Haarlem continued to grow into the 19th century. At 180 km (70 mi ) it was more than twice the size of Lake Beemster. Lake Haarlem is distinguished as the first large lake drained using steam powered pumps alone. 

Construction of the 60 km (37 mi) ring canal and ring dike started in 1840 and was finished in 1848. To remove the 800(10) m (28.3(10) ft ) of water from Lake Haarlem three pumping stations were built. Their pumps are considered to be the largest steam pumps ever built. Each station was designed with a single 

The draining of Lake Haarlem had a very significant impact on the 20th century projects. The Dutch realized that new technologies allowed them to successfully take on ever larger projects. Furthermore, draining Lake Haarlem was done as a public works project instead of with private investment. The major 20th century projects followed that pattern. 

Seventy-five percent of the outer Dutch coast is protected from flooding by sand dunes. The gaps in the dunes and the shorelines of the estuaries and islands are protected by hundreds of kilometers of dikes or seawalls that have been constructed over many centuries. 

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