Water reservoir

In the late 1950s this reservoir is built by the local retting association De Verenigde Roters. The entire installation comprises a tower, an 8 km water pipe and a pump station on an old arm of the River Mandel. It is used until 2007.

In the second half of the 19th century, flax processing becomes the Lys Valley’s most important industry. Izegem, which is especially known for its shoe and brush industry, also features a number of flax factories.

The flax fibres stick to the woody core of the flax stalk. A bacterial rotting process is needed to separate them from the stalks. This process is called retting. As from the mid-1920s, warm-water retting gains momentum: closed concrete tanks are filled with flax and then filled up with water of approximately 32 degrees.

Twelve flax business owners based in the Bosmolens district in Izegem and the neighbouring municipality of Sint-Eloois-Winkel have difficulty obtaining enough water for their retting pits. They join forces and build a water pipe from an old arm of the River Mandel near the Roeselare-Lys Canal to the this location, which is selected because it is the highest spot in the city, 31 metres above sea level. The installation becomes operational in 1958.

At that time the flax industry is hit by a major crisis, but fortunately the reservoir continues to be of use: numerous flax growers switch to horticulture.

The installation is used until 2007, whereas the last flax business closed its doors in 1993. The local retting association De Verenigde Roters still exists.

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