Hillebachsee Niedersfeld

Germany Lake 1 - Excellent

Hillebachsee is an artificial reservoir and designated bathing water located in the Hochsauerlandkreis region. The bathing area has a 25-meter shore section with a maximum depth of 1.4 meters in the bathing cove. Water quality has been rated as excellent for four consecutive years (2020–2023). The lake has a water exchange time of less than 10 days and experiences occasional algal blooms.

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Water

Artificial reservoir (dam) with a surface area of 8.5 hectares. Catchment area between 10–100 km². Maximum depth 12 meters, mean depth 3.8 meters. Water temperature ranges from 11.7°C to 17.8°C (mean 15.3°C). pH ranges from 7.35 to 8.82 (mean 8.25). Transparency between 0.5 and greater than 2 meters (mean 1.4 m). Elevation above 200 meters. Bedrock is calcareous. Substrate is silty with gravel filling in the bathing cove. Water body is stratified with less than 10-day water exchange.

Location

Located in Niedersfeld, operated by Stadtwerke Winterberg. A large meadow extends eastward from the bathing cove into the stream valley. Car parking is available.

Facilities

Shower facilities available. Toilets available. Large meadow for recreational use. Parking available. Wake-board facility present. Canoes and rowing boats permitted. DLRG (German lifeguard service) motorboat available.

Water Quality

Excellent classification in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The profile was created in 2024. Fine sediments from an upstream quarry settling basin have historically created fine-grained substrates, but the bathing cove floor has been filled with gravel to prevent fine sediment resuspension.

Risks

Lake occasionally experiences algal blooms. Cyanobacterial mass development is possible in the future. Medium risk of future phytoplankton mass development. Filamentous algae present in the lake. After heavy rainfall events, increased pollution from combined sewer overflows and agricultural runoff into the inflow streams (Hille and Gröne) is expected.