| Black Lauter | |
|---|---|
Source of the Black Lauter in the autumn of 2002 |
|
| Origin | in Schlatstall, a part of Lenningen |
| Mouth | confluence with White Lauter, forming the Lauter |
| Progression | Lauter→Neckar→Rhine→North Sea |
| Basin countries | Germany |
| Location | Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Length | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Source elevation | 535 m (1,755 ft) |
| Mouth elevation | 470 m (1,540 ft) |
| River system | Rhine |
| Left tributaries | Seltenbach |
The Black Lauter is the left hand source of the river of the Lauter. It rises in Schlatstall from the Lauterquelle well and the Golden hole. Within Lenningen it joins the White Lauter, forming the Lauter.
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At the mouth of the Kohlhau Valley, where it joins the Lenningen valley, lies the village of Schlatstall, which is now a part of the municipality of Lenningen. Near this village, there are a total of six Karst wells. The sources, the narrow valley and the village are a popular hiking destination. The sources are part of a nature reserve]]. The two most important wells in terms of volume, are the Lauterquelle and the Goldloch.
The Lauterquelle, or Lauter Well, () is situated 20 meters ahead of the Lauter mill, where the water-impermeable valley floor emerges. This source is so strong and rich that it could drive an overshot mill known as the Lauter Mill.
The Goldloch, or Golden Hole, is now only periodically active. This cave () is located about 100 meters east of the other sources. The discharge varies between 200 to 3,000 liters per second. The mouth of the cave hole was extended to its present size by miners in 1824 and '25. No gold was found.[1]
Trouts are bred in the clean, oxygen-rich karst spring water. Water from all six wells flows into fish ponds on the eastern edge of the village of Schlattstall.