The remaining holes 1a and 1b of the Merseburg Ost open pit mine were acquired in 2003 by the then Zweckverband Saale-Elster-Luppe-Aue, with the support of the municipality of Schkopau. The two remaining holes were flooded from 1998 to 2000 by pipelines from the White Elster River. The resulting lakes were given the names Wallendorfer See and Raßnitzer See in 2002. Each of the two lakes has a water surface of about 300 ha. The starting points for visiting the lakes are the parking lots in Burgliebenau and Wallendorf as well as the existing parking lot in Raßnitz. They are located close to the cycling and hiking trails with a total length of about 25 km. There are eight information boards with overview maps and information. From the lookout tower in Raßnitz, which was renovated in 2010, you have a good view over both lakes. A visit is worthwhile at any time of the year. The Wallendorfer See, which was created from the open-cast mine Merseburg-Ost, which was closed in 1991, together with the Raßnitz See, which borders directly to the east, is being developed into a standing body of water for gentle water tourism as well as for nature and landscape. A network of cycling and hiking trails is being created around the lakes with links to regional routes. A bathing beach is planned in the area of Burgliebenau. After the gravel extraction adjacent to the lake to the west has been stopped, the shallow water areas created there will be left to natural succession as a link to the nearby Saale floodplain. Special features of the lake are its adjacency to stately floodplain forests along the Weißer Elster in the north and the Luppe in the south, as well as the salt inputs into the water body from the cut geological layers, which are reminiscent of the former salt coal deposits.