Stock Photo - 10 May 2022, Brandenburg, Cottbus: View from an observation tower over the water surface of the future Cottbus Baltic Lake, which is being created in the former Cottbus-Nord opencast lignite mine. The Jänschwalde lignite-fired power plant can be seen in the background. This is where the future Cottbus Baltic Sea is to be created in just a few years. Flooding began at the former Cottbus-Nord open pit mine in mid-April 2019. The energy company Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (Leag) is allowing water to flow from the Spree via the Hammergraben into the open pit for the flooding. For local residents, the emerging body of water has long been a nearby destination. It is a huge amount of water that the Baltic needs - the surface area of the water is said to be just under 19 square kilometers. 100 million cubic meters of water are already in the pit. Every day, 300,000 cubic meters flow into the remaining hole. In 2025, the lake should reach the necessary minimum height of 2.70 meters in the middle. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa. - Cottbus/Brandenburg/Germany