Grevelingen

Grevelingen or Grevelingenmeer is a closed off part of the Rhine-Meuse estuary at the border of the Dutch provinces of South Holland and Zeeland. It is situated among the islands of Goeree-Overflakkee and Schouwen-Duiveland and changed into closed off as a part of the Delta Works, a huge engineering assignment designed to protect the southwestern a part of the Netherlands from flooding. The Brouwersdam, a dike connecting the 2 islands on the west, closes off the Grevelingen from the North Sea.

The Grevelingendam, the dike at the east, blocks the influx of Rhine and Meuse water. Since its closure in 1971 the saltwater of the Grevelingen slowly began to emerge as brackish due to rainwater and excess polderwater from the islands, however the Dutch modified their thoughts and decided that they desired to keep the saline biotope. Therefore, in 1978 a sluice was created below the Brouwersdam, restoring and keeping the saline character of the Grevelingen. The Brouwerssluis is open all yr spherical besides at some point of hurricane floods.