Graureihersee
| Graureihersee | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Graureihersee Location within Saxony | |
| Location | Saxony |
| Coordinates | 51°23′35″N 14°20′3″E / 51.39306°N 14.33417°E |
| Basin countries | Germany |
Surface area | 1.37 km2 (0.53 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 25 m (82 ft) |
Water volume | 3,000,000 m3 (110,000,000 cu ft) |
| Settlements | Hoyerswerda |
Graureihersee (translates to Grey Heron Lake in English) is a lake in Saxony, Germany.[1] It is a part of the Lusatian Lake District.[2] Its surface area is 1.37km² (0.53 mi2)[3] and it's water pH is 6.5. Over 330 grey heron pairs have been identified since 1995.[4]
Origin
In 1945, the Werminghoff I open-pit mine closed.[1] Until the late 1990s, residual pits D and F from the mine were used for industrial settling basin purposes and deposition of ash, coal slurry, slag, and industrial/household waste. Among other factors, rising groundwater level created two bodies of water in residual pits D and F. In 1970, the two residual pits were denominated a protected site. Landslides in 1996–97 damaged floating islands and collapsed the dam between the two residual pits and created combined body of water. [5][4]
History
In 2000, the local council named the basin Graureihersee, after gray heron colonies[3][5] there since 1995. Controlled flooding into the lake concluded 2004.[4]
References
- 1 2 "Knappensee & Graureihersee" (PDF). LMBV. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ↑ "Fakten vom Graureihersee". Seen.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-06-11.
- 1 2 "Graureihersee". www.lausitzerseenland.de. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
- 1 2 3 "Werminghoff/Knappenrode" (PDF). LMBV. pp. 12, 20, 25, 30. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Graureihersee | Objektansicht". www.kuladig.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-06-11.
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