Compartmentalisation dam

[1] Compartmentalisation dams have been deployed in scenarios where there is a significant disparity in water quality across different basins, where separation is used to address undesirable conditions.

[6][7] This scenario could lead to a significant increase in flow rate at the inlet, causing the channel to widen and deepen, thereby complicating or outright preventing closure.

At these junctures, the converging tides neutralise each other, creating an area with minimal current, facilitating easier dam construction despite the rapid movement of adjacent waters.

Initially, the Oosterschelde dam was to transform the area into a vast freshwater body, dubbed the Zeeland Lake, to ensure a tide-free route from Antwerp to Rotterdam.

Due to the non-completion of the Oosterschelde closure and the deferred decision to build a storm surge barrier, the Volkerak remained open, maintaining significant flow rates through the Zijpe channel.