The
Nieuwe Merwede ("New Merwede") is a
canal, mainly fed by the river
Rhine, that was constructed in 1870 to form a branch in the
Rhine-
Meuse delta. It was dug along the general
trajectories of a number of minor
Biesbosch creeks to reduce the risk of flooding by diverting the water away from the
Beneden Merwede, and to facilitate navigation and regulate river
traffic in the increasingly silted-up delta.