The reservoir as a river sewage treatment plant
At the beginning of the 20th century, not all wastewater in the Ruhr catchment area was treated in sewage treatment plants. In addition, treatment technology was mainly limited to mechanical processes. The construction of reservoirs as river treatment plants was therefore necessary in order to keep the Ruhr water as pure as required for treatment into drinking water.
When the Ruhr reservoirs were built, a wide range of opportunities for recreational use were created. Over the years, the importance of the reservoirs as local recreational areas has steadily increased. Not only the water areas themselves, but also the shoreline zones enable numerous activities: cycling, hiking, jogging, skating, fishing, rowing, sailing and canoeing.
Electric motors are not permitted on the Harkort, Hengstey and Kemnader lakes, as these Ruhr reservoirs are very shallow. The lakes were once created as "sedimentation basins" to retain suspended matter in the water. The propellers of the motors and their turbulence stir up these sediments.
Our reservoirs
Lake Hengstey
dammed in 1929
Lake Harkort
dammed in 1931
Lake Kemnade
dammed in 1979
Lake Baldeney
dammed in 1933
Lake Kettwig
dammed in 1950