Everything about Waal River totally explained
» For other uses, see Waal.
River
Waal is the main
distributary branch of
river Rhine flowing to the central
Netherlands for about 80 km (50 miles) before joining the
Meuse near
Woudrichem to form the
Boven Merwede. It is a major river which serves as the main waterway connecting the
Rotterdam harbor and
Germany.
Nijmegen,
Tiel,
Zaltbommel and
Gorinchem are towns of importance with direct access to the river. The river carries 65% of the total flow of the Rhine.
History
The name Waal, in
Roman times called Vacalis, Vahalis or Valis, later Vahal, is of
Germanic origin and is named after the many
meanders in the river (Old Germanic: wôh = crooked). It is, in turn, thought to have inspired early Dutch
settlers of the
Hudson Valley region in
New York to name the
Wallkill River after it (Waalkil = "Waal
Creek").
The current river shows little signs of these great bends, since the river has been the subject of numerous normalisation projects carried out in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries to improve the river as an economically important shipping route. Some of the cut-off bends are still visible near the main river and are sometimes reconnected to it in times of high water levels.
The Waal bend in South Holland
In the
Middle Ages, the name "Waal" continued after the confluence with River
Meuse. The delta parts now known as Boven Merwede,
Beneden Merwede and the upper section of river
Noord were also called Waal. Near
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, the main stream continued west until it flowed into River
Oude Maas near
Heerjansdam. This last stretch past Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, which separates the
river islands of
IJsselmonde and
Zwijndrechtse Waard, still is called Waal. It has been dammed off at both ends.
River crossings
Railroad bridges
Railroad bridges (with nearest train station on the left and right bank):
Water quality
The Waal has significant adverse water quality due to discharge of raw
sewage by
France,
Germany and
Belgium(External Link
). A number of pathogens have been monitored to occur in the river waters from such sewage.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Waal River'.
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