Nederlek () is a former municipality in the western

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

. Since 2015 it has been a part of the municipality of

Krimpenerwaard Krimpenerwaard () is a municipality, a region and a former water board of the Netherlands. It is a rural area located in the east of the province of South Holland, just south of Gouda and east of the Rotterdam conurbation. It is bordered on ...

. The former municipality covered an area of of which was covered by water. It was formed on 1 January 1985, by the amalgamation of the municipalities Krimpen aan de Lek and Lekkerkerk. Its name means "Lower Lek", a reference to its location on the

Lek River The Lek () is a river in the western Netherlands of some in length. It is the continuation of the Nederrijn after the Kromme Rijn branches off at the town of Wijk bij Duurstede. The main westbound waterway is hereafter called the Lek River. The ...

. There is no town called Nederlek; the former municipality consisted of the population centres Krimpen aan de Lek and Lekkerkerk. The last town gained notoriety in 1980 when a large amount of

toxic waste Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...

was found underneath a residential area built in the 1970s. The cost of cleaning up the mess ran up to 188 million

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...

s (approximately 90 million

US dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

s).

References

External links

Official website
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2015 Former municipalities of South Holland Krimpenerwaard {{SouthHolland-geo-stub