Ootmaanlanden water storage facility is dry again. At least, the water that suddenly flowed onto it on Thursday evening is gone. “The terrain is still swampy,” says Fred Prak, spokesperson for Natuurmomumenten, which manages the area.
Due to a malfunction, there was suddenly several decimeters of water in the area on Friday. A gate through which water can flow into the water storage was open, but the cause of the malfunction is still being investigated by the Drents Overijsselse Delta water board (WDODelta). “Yesterday morning at 11 o’clock all the water flowed out of the area again,” says spokesman Tom Olsman on behalf of the water board.
The flood happened at an unfavorable time. In the middle of the breeding season. The result is that animals have certainly drowned. But it is not yet known what the damage is to the area. And that won’t be known anytime soon. “That could take a year,” says Prak. He mentions the orange tip, a species of butterfly, as an example. It plants its eggs in the area around April and May. Caterpillars then hatch and it ultimately takes a year before a new batch of orange tips appears. But those eggs probably did not survive the high water. “You can’t say anything about the population until next year.”
This is different for every animal species. “Some species also live in other areas nearby, so the blow is less severe. We really cannot say anything yet about the consequences and damage.”