Reiherbach (Lutter)

Stream valley of the heron creek

The heron creek is an orographic left tributary of the Lutter in North Rhine -Westphalia, Germany. It has a length of 10.7 km.

River course

The heron creek springs from a source pot on the southern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest in Bielefeld city district Senne, not far from the airfield Bielefeld. As the majority of springing in this region rivers also has the heron creek to a flow direction from northeast to southwest. After a distance of about one kilometer of the creek reaches the Senner district Windelsbleiche and crosses there the field of sewage diaper, currently just over 60 acres of private nature reserve.

Once the heron creek has left the sewage, he enters the adjacent 5.9 -acre nature reserve Black Venn. Here, the tapering also from the sewage farm Topp Bach is on the right side was added, and shortly afterwards also on the right side of the tapered from the north chalk stream.

Behind the Black Venn enters the waters of another protected area called Heron and Röhrbach, a 122.3 hectare primarily composed of wet meadows and deciduous woodland, where the heron creek shows in places cut into a stream valley. To the west of this natural reserve, while north of the Gütersloher districts Friedrichsdorf and Avenwedde and south of Bielefeld Ummeln past leader initially exceeds the Bach a barrage, then picks up the left side tapered Röhrbach and then flows toward Isselhorst. Once the heron creek here has temporarily formed the boundary of the urban areas of Bielefeld and Gütersloh, it opens in the center of Isselhorst left side in the Lutter, which flows at Harsewinkel in the Ems.

The heron creek overcomes during its flow path a height difference of 48 meters, thus results in an average bed slope of 4.5 ‰.

Environment

A few years ago was one of the heron creek to the most polluted rivers of Bielefeld. The water quality has, however, improved significantly after the wastewater of the textile company diaper was changed. This wastewater was irrigated in the area of ​​today's nature reserve, collected after filtering through the soil drains again and finally discharged through Nachklärteiche in the heron creek. After the irrigator, the wastewater was adjusted and the area transformed into a today's important nature reserve and recreation area, it came in the wake of this measure also to a restoration of the heron creek. Since November 2006, the results in this area previously straightened waters by a new scale as a broad valley bed. In addition, organisms consistent Sohlgleiten were built.

Meanwhile, the heron creek is attributed almost in its entire course of the water quality class II and thus is considered as " moderately polluted ". Only in the source area and in its tributaries Topp Bach currently applies to the classification " critically polluted " (class II -III).

Flora and Fauna

In the area of ​​heron creek large areas of reed beds and riparian herbaceous communities, especially in the area of ​​the encountered "Black Venn ". In the old wood stocks that are " Heron and Röhrbach " found mainly in the protected area, are non-ferrous, green and black woodpecker woodpecker three native species. Since in many waters occur sticklebacks, the kingfisher is not rare. In addition, the Dipper is found in the protected Bachaue. Developed in recent years, improving water quality has meant that have again gathered sensitive aquatic insects such as the larvae of the banded demoiselle in the heron creek.

A special biodiversity especially in terms of avifauna also offer the crisscrossed by heron creek sewage diaper.

Etymology

While the name " heron creek " should refer to the local occurrence of herons, does the designation " Strothbach " under which the creek was formerly known to the formerly existing swampy lowlands that drains only in the course of human occupation and a green Landaue was redesigned.

Another, formerly used at least in the range of Ummeln term for the body of water is " Ramsbach ". To this also refers the name of the former peasantry Ramsloh, but this was resolved even before 1663, and in its place the peasantry Ummeln entered.