Lake Butgenbach

Lake Butgenbach is one of the four major dam reservoirs in the eastern part of the Liège province. Located in the High Ardennes, on the Elsenborn plateau, it was constructed in the early 1930s at the confluence of the Warche and Holzwarche rivers, currently spanning an area of 120 hectares with a length of 3 kilometers, a maximum width of 550 meters, and an average depth of 10 meters. The west shore, in contact with the locality of Butgenbach, is the most developed and includes a sports complex, a marina, and a campsite. Outside of this urbanized sector, the lake's surroundings maintain a rather wild appearance, often difficult to access, covered with hedgerow meadows, wet meadows, spruce plantations, leafy forest edges, and willow thickets. In open areas, the banks are occupied by stands of common reed (Phalaris arundinacea), sedge beds, and fringed megaphorbia fields. During low water periods, a community of great interest can develop on the exposed shores, consisting of often threatened dwarf annual plants, such as the very rare illecere (Illecebrum verticillatum). The lake represents an important birdwatching point, with no less than 130 species recorded over the past decade, including various waders and numerous ducks such as the green teal (Anas crecca), the common merganser (Mergus merganser), the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), and the common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), etc. Other iconic birds are regular, such as the red kite (Milvus milvus), which is the raptor most frequently seen above the water body, and the osprey (Pandion haliaetus), which frequents the area during migrations. The entomofauna is also notable, particularly with the presence of several heritage butterfly species in the wet meadows upstream of the lake.

Public access: Public access along the banks. Water sports.
Type: Site of Great Biological Interest (SGIB)

La biodiversité en Wallonie