Haringvliet

The Haring Vliet is a coast near inland waters in the Netherlands ( Holland ). The dammed since 1970, former Bay separates the former islands Putten - Voorne and Hoeksche Waard in the north of Goeree -Overflakkee in the south. The Haring Vliet is 28 km long and 795-3150 feet wide. The mean depth of NAP - 8m, the lowest point ( at Middelharnis ) NAP - 39m. About the Haring Vliet and the floodgates of the barrage reach of Hauptmündungsarm of the Rhine, called the lowermost portion Nieuwe Merwede and Maas together the North Sea. Another waters of the Rhine - Meuse delta, the Spui, opens between Hoeksche Waard and Voorne -Putten. In Haringvliet the island Tiengemeten is.

Formation and changes

Before the year 1200 Voorne and Flakkee were still a cohesive island. Then a storm surge tore the Bay of Haring Vliet into the country, and later was further inland the Hollands Diep. At the time, Haring Vliet was also Flakkee, until the 19th century it received its present name. 1970 Haring Vliet was under the Delta Plan with the Haringvliet dam from the North Sea separately and thus a part of the lowermost Rhine run which only achieved since the barrage of the sea.

Environmental situation and countermeasures

Due to the reclamation of the cutest Haring Vliet, and the tide accounted for. The marine ecosystem to brackish lost. Because the Biesbosch was not flooded in the mouth angle of the Rhine and Meuse regularly perished the reed belt. Different fish species almost completely disappeared from the affected waters. The discharge of organic effluent from intensive livestock production in North Brabant led to poisoning by blue-green algae, which fell victim to many birds.

1991 investigations were initiated, how to open the locks would affect the Haring Vliet. If you wanted a river delta restore typical conditions, are likely the locks be as closed to the Eastern Scheldt, only at high tide. In 2003, the Cabinet decided the so-called gap solution, which means that the floodgates are open only a crack in accrued flood to create a transitional area between salt and fresh water. Social Groups demand from the state compensation to adjust the meantime built freshwater infrastructure of Zealand to the return of the tide. However, the floodgates are open gap type only since 2010, accompanied by environmental studies. With the partial opening one hopes to again can result in a brackish water habitat to reduce the sludge deposits and improve water quality.

Previously freshwater outlets for agriculture and move to the drinking water, and a monitoring network and for protection against floods were creating. The salt water may reach a maximum of a line from the Spuimündung after Middelharnis. For the level Moerdijk a minimum water level of NAP = 0 is observed. But at low water of the Rhine ( below 1,100 m³ / s at the Lobith ) so far is closed, the locking mechanism to let the water of the Nieuwe Merwede and the river Meuse in the principal channel, the New Waterway access.

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