In Geelbroek, clean groundwater rich in lime rises to the surface, and the nature of the Drentsche Aa valley depends on it. To keep that water in the area for longer, ditches have been filled in or made shallower, and shallow channels and embankments have been built. According to the province of Drenthe, this makes the Drentsche Aa better able to cope with long dry spells and heavy rain. In time, a mix of woodland, scrub, marsh and grassland should develop.
Farmers around the area fear that a higher water table will also make their fields wetter, so that they can only start working the land later in the spring and have to stop earlier in the autumn, reports the Rolderpost, Rolde's village paper. According to farmers in the neighbourhood, even a small rise in the water level can cut the yield considerably; in some cases they fear losses of up to about 20 per cent.
On the basis of research, the project organisation does not expect any disadvantage for farming in the surrounding area. Water from the nature area is drained separately from that of the farmland, and embankments protect homes and fields. The groundwater will, however, be measured over the coming years, and a scheme has been agreed for any damage that does occur. According to the province, these agreements were made in consultation with farmers and local residents. As part of the redevelopment, landowners also exchanged land voluntarily, which has left the farmland with a better plot layout.
“Geelbroek shows that nature development, water management and the use of the landscape can go hand in hand,” says Henk Emmens, member of the provincial executive.
Walkers can enter the area on new paths and a boardwalk, and there is a new car park at the junction of Esweg and Geelbroekweg. On the opening day, guides took interested visitors into the area.
The redevelopment was carried out on behalf of the province, as part of its Natuurlijk Platteland programme. The state forestry service Staatsbosbeheer, Prolander, the Nationaal Park Drentsche Aa, IVN, the municipalities of Aa en Hunze and Midden-Drenthe, the Hunze en Aa's water board and the Bestuurscommissie Drentsche Aa all worked on it. Geelbroek is part of the Drentsche Aa Natura 2000 area and of the Natuur Netwerk Nederland, the Dutch network of nature areas.