The Volkerak is a

body of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such a ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, and is situated between the island

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 north-west and the Dutch mainland to the south and east. The western part of the Volkerak is also called Krammer. Tributaries of the Volkerak are the Dintel and

Steenbergse Vliet The Steenbergse Vliet is a small river in North Brabant, the Netherlands. It rises near Steenbergen and flows into the Volkerak The Volkerak is a body of water in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, and is situated ...

. Before 1987, it was a tidal river open to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

, but it was closed off 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 ...

; it is now a fresh water lake.

Delta Works

The Volkerak is navigable by sea-going ships. On the eastern end are the Volkerak Locks (''Volkeraksluizen'') connecting it to the

Hollands Diep Hollands Diep ( pre-1947 spelling: Hollandsch Diep) is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river and Antwerp. The Bergse Maas river and the N ...

. At the western end is the

Philipsdam Philipsdam is a dam that is part of the Delta Works in the Netherlands. It separates water of the lakes Krammer and Volkerak from the Oosterschelde. This dam connects the Grevelingendam to Sint Philipsland. History Construction began in late ...

and Krammer Locks (''Krammersluizen'') connecting it to the

Eastern Scheldt The Eastern Scheldt ( nl, Oosterschelde) is a former estuary in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands, between Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen on the north and Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland on the south. It also features the largest nati ...

(''Oosterschelde''), and also the Grevelingendam and Grevelingen Lock (''Grevelingensluis'') connecting it to the Grevelingen Grevelingen. Finally, the

Scheldt–Rhine Canal The Scheldt–Rhine Canal (Schelde-Rijnkanaal) in Belgium and the Netherlands connects Antwerp with the Volkerak, and thereby the Scheldt with the Rhine. Route The canal starts close to the Scheldt river, at the port of Antwerp, and generally ...

connects it to the

port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...

and thus the

, providing access for ocean-going vessels.

Future

Due to the low supply of fresh water to the now-enclosed Volkerak, and runoff of agricultural nutrients, the lake suffers from

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompass ...

throughout the summer, and swimming is prohibited. The decision to transform it again into a salt water lake could be taken between 2015 and 2020.

References

External links

Information by Rijkswaterstaat
Goeree-Overflakkee Moerdijk Steenbergen Tholen Landforms of North Brabant Landforms of South Holland Landforms of Zeeland Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta {{Netherlands-geo-stub