Germany transforms former coal mines into Europe's largest lake landscape

This is quite normal thing to do for many open pit mines or rather hard not to do if the pit goes below the water table.

There are some very nice natural swimming pools in the local area thanks to that, for example:

https://www.kudyznudy.cz/aktivity/koupaliste-u-libuse-v-lule... (stone quarry, IMHO one of the best summer swimming pools anywhere)

https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatopen%C3%BD_lom_v_Blansku (stone quarry)

https://www.jednoustopouceskem.cz/listing/lom-kaolinka-prime... (kaolin mine)

This reminds of a retirement community that was developed in Rome, GA on the site of an old limestone quarry.

https://www.thw.com/projects/49-senior-living/323-berry-coll...

Turning old brownfield into usable and livable space is a win all around

Haunted Hydrology's video for October 8 is about divers in flooded mines:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/V-HW5HAL7Lk

Mining operations often are toxic environments for various reasons aren't they?

Interesting machine that mines the coal and makes the lakes possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8772vEfUu8

These strip mine reclamations are just great.

In the 1990s, we lived on a lake in Indiana that was reclaimed from strip mines. Recommended.

I wish someone would try to convert them in geothermal plant.

On the one hand, it's nice that they're doing it.

One might think that they've come to the conclusion that it's time to phase out coal and move towards renewables. But coal is still big in Germany, and with the current Minister for Economic Affairs, Katarina Reiche [1], the fossil fuel lobby has installed a puppet in that position, one who is going all in on fossils again and pushing legislation that makes it much harder to expand solar and wind capacity. Even though no one needs coal anymore, big companies like RWE still forcibly demolish villages to expand their mines and show off their power .

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherina_Reiche [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hambach_surface_mine

Is it safe to recreate in water that has been exposed to all of that mining slough?

Germany is pretty famous for tagebaurekultivierung.

Now please bring back solar + nuclear energy and stop pretending that burning oil is cleaner.

We changed the URL above from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/germany-is-... to an article that has more information.

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I feel bad for the post-apocalypse folks who won't be able to find any dry, solid fuel to burn.