The Spui is a small tidal river in

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, connecting the river Oude Maas and the Haringvliet

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 enviro ...

, separating the islands of Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard. Historically, it forked off the Oude Maas at the town of Oud-Beijerland to end in the Haringvliet, but as a (planned) result from the

Delta Works The Delta Works () 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 consist of dams, slu ...

, its flow has been reversed. The Spui emerged as a result of a levee breach during the , a

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

that permanently altered the surrounding landscape. There are no bridges or tunnels crossing the Spui, but there is a car

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

from Hekelingen (municipality Nissewaard) to Nieuw-Beijerland (municipality Hoeksche Waard), and a pedestrian and bicycle ferry between Oud-Beijerland and Rhoon (in Albrandswaard).

References

Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta Rivers of the Netherlands Rivers of South Holland Hoeksche Waard Voorne-Putten {{Netherlands-river-stub