Brouwersdam | |
|---|---|
 Brouwersdam | |
| Coordinates | 51°46′0″N3°52′0″E / 51.76667°N 3.86667°E |
| Carries | N57 |
| Owner | Rijkswaterstaat |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1962 |
| Construction end | 1971 |
| Location | |
 | |
The Brouwersdam is the seventh structure of the Delta Works in the Netherlands, forming a barrier across the former estuary known as the Brouwershavense Gat. As a result, the area of water became known as the Grevelingenmeer.
The Grevelingendam between Goeree-Overflakkee and Schouwen-Duiveland was completed in 1965. The Gravelingen south of Goeree-Overflakkee were still connected to the North Sea. The storm surge could therefore be higher here, so dykes were raised on the south side of the island in 1965. Construction of the Brouwersdam was begun immediately after the Gavelingendam was completed in order to shorten the period of higher flood. After more than six years, in the spring of 1971, the dam was finished. Between 1964 and 1971 there had been some very high water levels. In November 1966 the water was just a few centimeters below the level of the infamous floods of February 1, 1953. [1]
Construction of the six-kilometer long dam was begun in 1962. The inlet between Goeree-Overflakke and Schouwen-Duiveland was 30 meters deep. As with other dams, caissons with holes were lowered, allowing the tides to go through during the construction of the dam. This avoided creating too strong a current in the narrowing gap. This method was used for the northern gap at De Kous. [1]
Besides the caissons for the Southern gap, the Brouwershavense Gat, a cableway was used. From the cableway, large blocks of concrete were dropped in the trench, on top of which sand was sprayed. This constructed two large sandbars. The local channel was too deep and the water flowed too fast for the caissons method. After all the caissons were lowered, all the gaps were plugged. [1]
The Brouwersdam was finished in 1971. Following the completion of the Gravelingen the fall in water level exposed about 3,000 hectares of dry land. The road to the dam (National Highway 57) was commissioned on March 30, 1973. After completion, the native flora and fauna quickly began to die off as rainwater and water flowing in from the surrounding polders began to transform the lake into a brackish body of water. A decision was made to return the salinity to its original state. On June 1, 1978, the Brouwerssluis, an inlet sluice, was installed in the dam, allowing water in from the sea. [2]
Halfway through the dam is a marina and the holiday park, Port Zélande . In the area water sports such as kite-surfing and windsurfing are popular.
The Rijdend Tram Museum Foundation operates a route from Ouddorp (Punt de Goeree), via Port Zélande, to Scharendijke using historic stock from the Rotterdamse Tramweg Maatschappijt. [3]
The three-day "Concert at Sea" music festival has been held annually since 2006 at the Brouwersdam. [4]
Zeeland is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east, South Holland to the north, as well as the country of Belgium to the south and west. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas and a strip bordering the Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders. Its capital is Middelburg with a population of 48,544 as of November 2019, although the largest municipality in Zeeland is Terneuzen. Zeeland has two seaports: Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Its area is 2,933 square kilometres (1,132 sq mi), of which 1,154 square kilometres (446 sq mi) is water; it had a population of about 391,000 as of January 2023.
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, sluices, locks, dykes, levees, and storm surge barriers located in the provinces of South Holland and Zeeland.
The Eastern Scheldt 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 national park in the Netherlands, founded in 2002.
Schouwen-Duiveland is a municipality and an island in the southwestern Netherlands province of Zeeland. The municipality has 33,737 inhabitants and covers an area of 488.94 square kilometres.
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 Schouwen-Duiveland by Lake Grevelingen.
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.
Grevelingen or Grevelingenmeer is a closed off part of the Rhine-Meuse estuary on the border of the Dutch provinces of South Holland and Zeeland.
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, resulting in extensive flooding.
The Oosterscheldekering, between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of the Delta Works, a series of dams and storm surge barriers, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. The construction of the Delta Works was a response to the widespread damage and loss of life in the North Sea flood of 1953.
Brouwershaven is a small city on the Grevelingen in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, lies about 45 km southwest of Hellevoetsluis and 10 km north of Zierikzee.
Ellemeet is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 26 km west of Hellevoetsluis.
Serooskerke is a village in the southwest Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland about 100 km southwest of Rotterdam.
Ballast Nedam is a Dutch-based construction and engineering company headquartered in Nieuwegein. The company resulted from a merger between Amsterdamse Ballast Maatschappij and Nederlandse Aannemingsmaatschappij.
The Philipsdam is a compartmentalisation dam constructed as part of the Delta Works in the Netherlands. It separates water of the lakes Krammer and Volkerak from the Oosterschelde, and connects the Grevelingendam to Sint Philipsland.
The Markiezaatskade is a compartmentalisation dam in The Netherlands, situated between South Beveland and Molenplaat, near Bergen op Zoom. The dam was constructed as part of the Delta Works, and has a length of 4 kilometres.
The Veerse Gatdam is a man-made barrier across the former Eastern Scheldt estuary branch known as the Veerse Gat, between Walcheren and Noord-Beveland islands in Zeeland, Netherlands. The barrier was completed on 27 April 1961. Because of the completion of this barrier and the completion of the Zandkreekdam a year prior on the eastern end of the waterway, the Veerse Meer was created. The Veerse Gatdam is the third structure constructed as part of the Delta Works water management system. The N57 motorway runs along the top of the barrier.
The Volkerakdam or Volkerakwerken is the name given to a group of hydraulic engineering structures located between Goeree-Overflakkee and North Brabant in The Netherlands. The works are not a single dam, but are composed of three distinct structures: a dam between Goeree-Overflakkee and Hellegatsplein, a series of locks from Hellegatsplein to North Brabant, and a bridge from Hellegatsplein to Hoekse Waard. The works cross three separate bodies of water: the Haringvliet, Hollands Diep and Volkerak. The works together comprise the fifth project of the Delta Works.
The Grevelingendam is a dam located in the Grevelingen sea inlet between Schouwen-Duiveland and Goeree-Overflakkee in The Netherlands. The Grevelingendam was the fourth structure constructed as part of the Delta Works.
The Zandkreekdam is a compartmentalisation dam located approximately 3 kilometres north of the city of Goes in The Netherlands, which connects Zuid-Beveland with Noord-Beveland, and separates the Oosterschelde from the Veerse Meer.
In coastal and environmental engineering, the closure of tidal inlets entails the deliberate prevention of the entry of seawater into inland areas through the use of fill material and the construction of barriers. The aim of such closures is usually to safeguard inland regions from flooding, thereby protecting ecological integrity and reducing potential harm to human settlements and agricultural areas.