Loosdrechtse Plassen

The Loosdrechtse Plassen are located in the municipalities of Wijdemeren, Breukelen and Loenen. The water comes from the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Originally it was a swamp area. To drain the area, ditches were dug to the river Utrechtse Vecht and the Drecht. The peat bog that was created in this way was chipped for peat in the 16th century. This is how laying fields were created. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the groundwater was also dredged below and larger water surfaces were created. Due to the influence of wind and waves, the laying fields disappeared and a puddle area gradually emerged. In the 20th century, the current recreation area was developed. In the beginning of the 20th century the water was clear, but now there is a dredging problem. The cause is the abandonment of laying fields and algae growth. Due to the shallow depth, the sludge can easily swirl up. Even after reducing the phosphate load, aquatic plant growth has not recovered. The dredge accumulates in the puddles. This hinders the passage for ships and the swirling sludge affects the bathing water quality. At the end of the 90s, the Loosdrechtse Plassen project was started to tackle the aforementioned problems.

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