Zandkreekdam | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 51°32′36″N3°51′55.2″E / 51.54333°N 3.865333°E |
Carries | N256 |
Owner | Rijkswaterstaat |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 0.83 kilometres (0.52 mi) |
History | |
Engineering design by | Deltadienst |
Construction start | 1957 |
Construction end | 1960 |
Opened | 1960 |
Location | |
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.
A navigation lock in the dam permits shipping connections to Middelburg and Vlissingen, via the Veerse Meer and the Walcheren navigation channel. The Zandkreekdam is 830 metres in length, and was the first compartmentalisation dam to be constructed as part of the Delta Works, [1] having been proposed by Johan van Veen as part of the Drie-Eilanden Plan (English: Three Islands Plan) which originated in the 1930s. [2] [3] It was the second project constructed under the Delta Works Plan, after the Stormvloedkering Hollandse IJssel which was completed in 1958. [4] [1]
The construction of the Zandkreekdam, together with the Veerse Gatdam in 1961, created the freshwater Veerse Meer (Veerse Lake). Poor water quality in the lake led to the decision to build a control lock, known as the Katse Heule, which was completed in 2004 and re-established saltwater intrusion from the Oosterschelde into the Veerse Meer, and led to a significant improvement in water quality. There are two bridges at the Zandkreekdam locks to permit vehicular traffic to pass over it at any time. [5]
Johan van Veen's Three-Island Plan required that construction of the Zankreekdam and the Veerse Gatdam should be undertaken as early as possible in the Delta Works programme, to permit Dutch civil engineers and contractors to gain experience that would be necessary for more complicated Delta Works projects such as the Brouwersdam and Oosterscheldekering. [1] [6] [2]
Johan van Veen had been developing his Three Islands Plan since the 1930s, [2] [7] in which he considered land reclamation around the islands of Walcheren, Nord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland and proposed the closure of two bodies of water: the Veerse Gat and the Zandkreek. In combination with the effects of the previously-constructed Sloedam, this would shorten the coastline from 52 kilometers to 2.5 kilometres and open up large areas of land which could then be reclaimed from the sea.
Van Veen recognised the need to close both bodies of water, with the Zandkreekdam acting as a secondary dam to make the works on the Veerse Gatdam easier and therefore being constructed first. Having made extensive studies, van Veen realised that the closure of the Veerse Gat alone would cause unacceptable tidal streams in the Zandkreek. [2]
The Delta Plan was of such unprecedented size and complexity that the plan was to start with the easiest parts and gain experience along the way. There were a total of four sea arms to be closed in the Delta region, of which the Veerse Gat - extending east into the Zandkreek - was the smallest.
By commencing with the smaller works, the engineers of the Delta Service could thus gain knowledge of construction methods, materials, and equipment - essential exercises for closing the larger Brouwershavense Gat and the Eastern Scheldt. The location pinpointed by van Veen for the Zandkreekdam is at a wantij, a Dutch term for the point at which the tidal currents from both sea arms meet at high tide, and the current is minimal. [2] [5]
It was also important that construction of the Veerse Gatdam did not lag too far behind the Zandkreekdam, as closing only the Zandkreek would dangerously increase the effects of storm surges in both the Veerse Gat and the Zandkreek. [8]
The body set up to implement the Delta Works scheme, known as the Deltacommissie (English: Delta Commission), adopted the Three Islands Plan and the Zandkreekdam was taken forward. The design was based on the use of caissons 6 metres high, 7.5 metres wide and 11 metres long to form a closure dam, along with the construction of a lock to permit navigation. [6] [7]
Construction began in the spring of 1957, with dredging undertaken to form a foundation trench 6.5 metres below Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (Normaal Amsterdams Peil, N.A.P.). Weak soils including soft clay and peat were removed and replaced with approximately 160,000 cubic metres of sand, and excavation depths up to 14 metres below N.A.P. were realised. Unit caissons were used to construct the dam, with the maximum depth of the closing hole being 5m below N.A.P. [9]
On 3 May 1960, a pair of caissons were sunk into the final gap and the dam was then completed to a height of 8.25m above N.A.P. [10] [11] [12]
The navigation lock, 140 metres long and 20 metres wide, was ready for shipping in the spring of 1960. [9]
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.
Noord-Beveland is a municipality and region in the southwestern Netherlands and a former island, now part of the Walcheren-Zuid-Beveland-Noord-Beveland peninsula. Noord-Beveland is enclosed by the Oosterschelde estuary to the north, and the former straits, now combined lake, of Veerse Meer and Zandkreek to the south. As part of the Delta Works, dams have connected Noord-Beveland to Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland.
The Scheldt–Rhine Canal (Schelde-Rijnkanaal) in Belgium and the Netherlands connects Antwerp with the Volkerak, and thereby the Scheldt with the Rhine.
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.
The Veerse Meer is a lagoon in the southwest Netherlands in the province of Zeeland.
The Volkerak is a body of water in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, and is situated between the island Goeree-Overflakkee 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 Hartelkering is a storm surge barrier in Spijkenisse, Netherlands. The barrier is part of the Europoortkering, itself part of the Delta Works project and is designed to close the Hartelkanaal in case of a storm surge.
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 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 Oesterdam is a compartmentalisation dam in The Netherlands, situated between Tholen and South Beveland in the eastern part of the Eastern Scheldt. The dam, with a length of 10.5 kilometres, is the longest structure built for the Delta Works. The Oesterdam was necessitated, like the Philipsdam, after the decision was taken to close off the Eastern Scheldt with a storm surge barrier, rather than a solid dam.
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 Stormvloedkering Hollandse IJssel, Hollandse IJsselkering or Algerakering is a storm surge barrier located on the Hollandse IJssel, at the municipal boundary of Capelle aan den IJssel and Krimpen aan den IJssel, east of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The construction of the works comprised the first project of the Delta Works, undertaken in response to the disastrous effects of the North Sea flood of 1953. Prior to 1954, the spelling Hollandsche was used in the official name.
Frank Spaargaren was a Dutch hydraulic engineer who was one of the main designers of the Oosterscheldekering and served as a director of the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium in Delft.
Pieter Philippus Jansen was a Dutch civil engineer and hydraulic engineer who made significant contributions to hydraulic engineering in The Netherlands. He spent the majority of his career with Rijkswaterstaat, working on several major projects including the first phase of the Delta Works and leading the reclamation and repair efforts following the inundation of Walcheren.
Jan Fokke Agema was a Dutch hydraulic engineer and professor at Delft University of Technology. He is notable for his design of the harbour entrance at Hoek van Holland and involvement in the construction of the Oosterscheldekering. The prof. dr.ir. J.F. Agemaprijs is named for him, and has been awarded every five years since 2000.
A compartmentalisation dam is a dam that divides a body of water into two parts. A typical use of such a dam is the regulation of water levels separately in different sections of a basin. One application of a compartmentalisation dam is to facilitate closures of areas with multiple tidal inlets, such as in the case of the Delta Works.