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The Vogelsberg is one of the largest natural reservoirs in Germany, and one of the areas with a lot of precipitation. The average amount per year in the Oberwald is between 700 and 1200mm/sqm., between 30 and 80 days with snow and about 180 days with fog. All three factors together with slowly melting snow are important to maintain the groundwater of the mountain and respectively to facilitate the renewal of the ground water. By the way the quality of the water from the Vogelsberg is one of the best in Germany.
The upper resches of the Nidda.
Groundwater is collected in the Vogelsberg in “ravines” and “floating groundwater pipes”. They are connected with each other so that when drilling you can never say where the water comes from. The hydrologic relations are complicated. Spring water comes out of ground water that is locally limited.
One of the big headwaters in the Hoher Vogelsberg is the mountain area around the “seven maple” and the nearby “Breungeshainer Hearth land”.
There rise inter alia Lauter, Brenderwasser, Eisenbach and Ellersbach, Katharinenbach, Gilgbach, Streitbach and Nidda. The first four flow to the north and lead their water through the Weser to the North Sea, the following three flow west to the Lahn and into the Rhine, whereas the Nidda goes south and flows into the Main. The watershed between Rhine and Weser goes right across the Vogelsberg and it can also be divided into Rhine / Main, Lahn / Rhine, Eder / Weser and Fulda / Weser. The course of the watershed can be easily comprehended on the way round the moor “Breungeshainer Heide” – the sources of the Nidda and that of the Ellersbach are only 100m away.
Schwarzbach valley.
All streams are in their original shape in their upper reaches. There are many groups of small animals and plants around the streams and you can even find there the red dotted brown trout.
Willows, alders and some poplars serve as a bulwark against the floods, gather a genetic variety and offer shelter to many living things in the dead woods on both sides of the streams. Some of these streams need special protection, as (e.g.) the valleys of the Nidda and the Hillersbach in the southeast of the Vogelsberg and greater parts of the Feldatal in the west.
(Translated from German by Heidi M. Schneider)
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