The Site is a complex of shallow slightly brackish lakes criss-crossed by land strips, peatlands, reed fringes, wet meadows and improved grasslands, located near the city of Gouda. The current landscape has been formed by land reclamation and peat extraction. The Ramsar Site boundaries were aligned with the Natura 2000 site in 2014, resulting in a reduction in area of four hectares. The Site regularly supports more than 20,000 birds and hosts more than 1% of the biogeographic populations of the Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope) and gadwall (Anas strepera). It is also an important spawning ground for the European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus) and spined loach (Cobitis taenia). The main human uses include boating, commercial fisheries, farming and tourism. The Site is threatened by non-industrial pollution and the expansion of agricultural land.