Beaver ponds and mill ponds. History and water retention function. The Polish Plain study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34767/GAT.2023.11.02Keywords:
Holocen, small-scale retention, beaver ponds, mill ponds, catchment of the Brda, catchment of the Wda, North European PlainAbstract
This paper presents the results of studies on small-scale water retention in beaver ponds and mill ponds located
within the Polish Plain in the catchments of the Brda and Wda Rivers. Findings regarding small-scale retention in the Holocene were based on geological surveys and archival materials in the presence of beaver ponds and mill ponds. Traces of Holocene and contemporary beaver colonisation in this area have been documented. We collected data on the location of mill ponds during various developmental periods of the millers’ trade. The potential maximum retention in Holocene beaver ponds, contemporary beaver ponds and mill ponds was estimated and compared in both examined catchments at various stages of the development of the miller’s trade. It was established that retention in mill ponds at the peak of the development of the miller’s trade in the catchments of Brda and Wda was four times lower than the potential retention in beaver ponds during the pre-anthropogenic stage of the Holocene. Current small-scale retention in beaver ponds is variable and definitely smaller than natural and anthropogenic retention in the past. It did not compensate for the water loss associated with irrigation practices in this area.
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