A technical fault in a weir has flooded a nature reserve full of breeding birds. Ootmaanlanden nature reserve near Uffelte in Drenthe has been half a meter under water since Thursday evening. Disastrous for the nests of the tree pipit, stonechat and red-breasted shrike.
The 75 hectare nature reserve can also be used as a water storage area, a climate buffer, in the event of extreme flooding. But that is not the case at the moment. It was a malfunction in one of the weirs in the area that allowed the water from the Drentse Hoofdvaart to flow in, Natuurmonumenten tells RTV Drenthe. The water rose several tens of centimeters high.
The Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Board confirms this. “A valve opened automatically. That should not have happened,” a spokesperson told the broadcaster.
‘So sad’
According to Natuurmonumenten, the Ootmaanlanden is a breeding area with currently plenty of nests, including those of the tree pipit, stonechat and red-breasted shrike. Yellowhammers and warblers also nest there. “Some mammals and insects have also drowned. It is so sad that this happened at this very moment,” a ranger from Natuurmonumenten told Dagblad van het Noorden.
The fault has now been resolved and the area is slowly emptying again. That will take several days. The final damage to the fauna can then be assessed.