Haringvliet

Location of the Haringvliet within South Holland and the Netherlands.

The Haringvliet sluices

The Haringvliet is a large inlet of the North Sea, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is an important estuary of the Rhine-Meuse delta.^[1]

Near Numansdorp, the Hollands Diep splits into the Haringvliet and the Volkerak estuaries. It is closed off near Goedereede from the North Sea by the Haringvlietdam, which provides a road connection between the island of Voorne to the north and the island of Goeree-Overflakkee to the south.^[2] The dam with its sluices was built as part of the Delta Works sea barrier protection works.^[3]

The Haringvliet estuary contains the island of Tiengemeten, which is separated from the river island of Hoeksche Waard by the Vuile Gat strait.

History

The lower part of the Rhine-Meuse Delta

The Haringvliet was formed as a result of the extensive flooding event of 1216, which breached the dunes of Voorne and created a deep saltwater inlet. During a second flooding event, the St. Elizabeth floods, this inlet connected to the Merwede and became an important estuary of the Rhine and Meuse rivers.

It used to be ecologically rich, and its brackish waters, fed by both rivers and sea, supported an healthy population of seals. It also provided an access point for migrating fish like salmon and sturgeon. As a result of the North Sea flood of 1953 the Haringvliet was closed off by the Haringvlietdam. The Haringvliet lost its estuarine characteristics and became a freshwater lake.^[4] Because of that, the seals are gone and migrating fish can only enter the Rhine-Meuse Delta through the busy and heavy industrialised Nieuwe Waterweg.

There are plans to permanently open a few of the Haringvliet sluices, to partly restore the ecosystem.^[5]

References

↑ "Haringvliet" (in Dutch). Rijkswaterstaat.
↑ "N57 (Highway)" (in Dutch). Rijkswaterstaat.
↑ "Haringvlietsluizen" (in Dutch). Rijkswaterstaat.
↑ "Haringvliet Expo". Deltawerken Online (in Dutch).
↑ "Haringvlietsluizen op een kier" (in Dutch). Rijkswaterstaat.

Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta

Rhine Rijn Rhin	Current distributaries Waal Nederrijn IJssel Lek Merwede Boven Merwede Nieuwe Merwede Beneden Merwede Oude Maas Dordtsche Kil Noord Nieuwe Maas Het Scheur Nieuwe Waterweg Former distributaries Kromme Rijn Leidse Rijn Oude Rijn Hollandse IJssel Vecht Waaltje Brielse Maas Spui Current estuaries Nieuwe Waterweg IJsselmeer Former estuaries Hollands Diep Haringvliet Volkerak Krammer Grevelingen Keeten-Mastgat Oosterschelde Associated canals Bijlands Kanaal Pannerdens Kanaal Amsterdam–Rhine Canal Vaartse Rijn Nieuwe Merwede Nieuwe Waterweg Scheldt–Rhine Canal Maas–Waal Canal

Meuse Maas	Current distributaries Bergse Maas Amer Former distributaries Oude Maasje Afgedamde Maas Merwede Boven Merwede Beneden Merwede Oude Maas Dordtsche Kil Noord Nieuwe Maas Het Scheur Nieuwe Waterweg Current estuaries Former estuaries Hollands Diep Haringvliet Volkerak Krammer Grevelingen Keeten-Mastgat Oosterschelde Associated canals Heusden Canal Bergse Maas Maas–Waal Canal

Scheldt Schelde Escaut	Current distributaries Western Scheldt Former distributaries Oosterschelde Eendracht Current estuaries Western Scheldt Former estuaries Oosterschelde Krammer Grevelingen Associated canals Scheldt–Rhine Canal Canal through Walcheren

Other rivers (directly draining into the delta)	Linge Mark Donge Rotte Oude IJssel

Islands and Peninsulas	Rozenburg IJsselmonde Het Eiland van Dordt Voorne and Putten Hoeksche Waard Tiengemeten Goeree-Overflakkee Schouwen-Duiveland Tholen Sint Philipsland Walcheren Noord-Beveland Zuid-Beveland

Towns	Rotterdam Antwerp Dordrecht Bergen-op-Zoom Schiedam Vlissingen Vlaardingen Middelburg Spijkenisse

Other topics	Delta Works Verdronken Land van Reimerswaal Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe St. Elizabeth's flood (1421) St. Felix's Flood All Saints' Flood (1570)

Coordinates: 51°46′18″N 4°12′57″E / 51.77167°N 4.21583°E / 51.77167; 4.21583

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