The Haringvliet is a large
inlet of the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, in the province of
South Holland in the
Netherlands
)
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. It is an important
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
of the
Rhine-Meuse delta.
Near
Numansdorp, the
Hollands Diep splits into the Haringvliet and the
Volkerak estuaries
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
. It is closed off near
Goedereede from the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
by the
Haringvlietdam, which provides a
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
connection between the
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
of
Voorne to the north and the island of
Goeree-Overflakkee
Goeree-Overflakkee () is the southernmost delta island of the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is separated from Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard by the Haringvliet, from the mainland of North Brabant by the Volkerak, and from Schou ...
to the south. The dam with its sluices was built as part of the
Delta Works
The Delta Works ( nl, Deltawerken) is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works con ...
sea barrier protection works.
The Haringvliet estuary contains the island of
Tiengemeten, which is separated from the
river island
River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores and online.
Best known for its trend focused womenswear offering, River Isl ...
of
Hoeksche Waard
The Hoekse Waard (; pre-1947 spelling: Hoeksche Waard) is an island between the Oude Maas, Dordtsche Kil, Hollands Diep, Haringvliet and Spui rivers in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. The island, part of the namesake munic ...
by the
Vuile Gat strait.
History
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 of 1421, this inlet connected to the
Merwede
The Merwede () etymology uncertain, possibly derived from the ancient Dutch ''Merwe'' or ''Merowe'', a word meaning "wide water") is the name of several connected stretches of river in the Netherlands, between the cities of Woudrichem, Dordrecht a ...
and became an important estuary of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
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, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
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, so ...
and
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
rivers.
It used to be ecologically rich, and its brackish waters, fed by both rivers and sea, supported a healthy population of
seals. It also provided an access point for migrating fish like
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
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. 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
The Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway") is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur (a branch of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta) west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland: the Maasmond, where the Nieuwe Waterweg con ...
.
There are plans to permanently open a few of the Haringvliet sluices, to partly restore the ecosystem.
References
{{coord, 51, 46, 18, N, 4, 12, 57, E, region:NL_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title
Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta
Ramsar sites in the Netherlands
Natura 2000 in the Netherlands
Goeree-Overflakkee
Hoeksche Waard
Lakes of the Netherlands