we visited the WaterLand Neeltje Jans in the province of Zeeland (Sea Land) located in the south west corner (delta region) of the country near Middleburg, the capital of Zeeland in May, 2001. This lowland area was decimated by a flood in 1953 which led to the creation of the Delta Project. This project created a series of dams, dikes and a 3.2 km storm surge barrier.

The picture at right is a photo of a model depicting the storm surge barrier. The storm surge barrier is lowered only when extreme conditions exist in the North Sea which could cause flooding.

The project was finished in 1986 and today plays host to a small theme park built adjacent to the control center (pictured at left) for the barrier. The entrance price is a bit on the high side at $10.00 U.S. per person but it does give you access to a stroll on the barrier (below) as well as entrance to the Delta Expo which provides a historical overview of life in the area and the construction of the Delta Project.

Note the hydraulic piston in the center of the picture to Jim’s right. There are two pistons for each gate in this section of the barrier. Another section of the barrier requires four hydraulic pistons for each section to be lowered and raised.

We spent most of the day walking about the park and enjoyed our visit. There is a 28 minute film which describes the construction of the barrier. The park covers a fair amount of territory and there is a tram that will haul you about if you are not up to the walk. Be prepared for high winds. We were fortunate because the winds were nil when we arrived and weren’t blowing much when we departed some four hours later.

The construction of the storm surge barrier came about as an alternative to a highly controversial project to dam the Eastern Schelde River. Huge concrete piers were built on land and then floated into place. It took three days to flood the area where the piers were constructed so they could be floated to their ultimate resting position. The placement of each pier had to be precise to the centimeter and the project used global positioning system (GPS) technology to ensure the correct placement of each pier. The picture at left is the section of the barrier Jim was standing on, above.

Much of the equipment used for the project was developed and used specifically for the construction of the barrier and then retired. Some of the equipment is on display in the park The barrier can be dropped during unusually high tides but usually remains open in order to preserve the area’s marine life through normal tidal movements.

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