Stauanlage Eiserbach, Dam plant in Simmerath, Germany

The Stauanlage Eiserbach consists of the Eiserbachdamm, a 21 m high, 235 m long earth dam with a clay seal and a crown 7.5 m wide, built directly south of Rurberg, and the roughly 3 ha Vorbecken Eiserbach. The basin's water surface sits at 279.6 m above sea level at normal impoundment, with a total storage volume of 0.35 million m³ and a small overflow shaft for flood relief.

Completed in 1959, the Eiserbachdamm was built directly south of Rurberg as a small pre-dam (Vorsperre) for the Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel, impounding the 3.1 km Eiserbach stream. It is an earth-fill dam, 21 m high, 235 m long and 7.5 m wide at the crest, with a clay internal seal and a construction volume of 90,000 m³. It is operated by the Wasserverband Eifel-Rur.

The forebay, the Vorbecken Eiserbach, was laid out as the Eiserbachsee open-air swimming lake, so the dam's impounded water doubles as a bathing spot at the southern edge of Rurberg. The Eiserbach itself, a 3.1 km tributary of the Rur, feeds the basin, and its last 350 m below the dam are submerged when the Rurstausee is high. The Kleinenbach joins it about 400 m above the inflow.

The reservoir is surrounded by walking paths that are easily accessible and offer good views. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, as the paths are hilly with variable ground conditions.

The area behind the dam became Eiserbachsee, a swimming lake for visitors and recreation. This dual function shows how water infrastructure can also create public spaces for leisure.