Westerplas

To avoid waterlogging in the Hooglatem neighborhood of Latem, a retention basin – a controlled flooding area – for 36,000 m3 of water has been created: the Westerplas. This way, the buildings are protected from water and the water-rich area is kept free of construction. Some stream banks have been widened to create marsh zones.
Open mudflats and marshes are very attractive to water birds. In the spring and fall, there is a constant ebb and flow of various special migratory birds. The most spectacular are the groups of spoonbills from the Dutch colonies that can be found here in spring and autumn. In the summer, lapwings, little ringed plovers, and bluethroats breed in the area. At dusk, bats like the noctule and the common bat hunt for mosquitoes and other insects above the water.

Loebas