The Soeste is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

 in the Cloppenburg district

Cloppenburg (district)

Cloppenburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Ammerland, Oldenburg, Vechta, Osnabrück, Emsland and Leer....

.

The Soeste forms from two source brooks in Hesselnfeld and Egterholz, two small settlements in the Emstek

Emstek

Emstek is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 8 km east of Cloppenburg....

 municipality. It flows northwest through Cloppenburg

Cloppenburg

Cloppenburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Bremen and the Dutch border. Cloppenburg is not far from the A1, the major motorway connecting the Ruhr area to Bremen and Hamburg...

, where its water flow was already sufficient for water mills to be operated. The Soeste flows into a dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 at Thülsfelde, which was built in the 1920s. From there it flows through the towns Friesoythe

Friesoythe

Friesoythe, in Saterland Frisian language Ait or Äit, is a town in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Soeste, approximately 25 km northwest of Cloppenburg, and 30 km southwest of Oldenburg....

 and Barßel

Barßel

Barßel is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Division of the municipality:Barßel consists of 13 districts:* Barßel* Barßelermoor* Carolinenhof* Elisabethfehn* Harkebrügge* Lohe* Loher-Ostmark* Loher-Westmark...

. Near the latter town, the Soeste flows into the Leda

Leda River

The Leda is a river in north-western Germany , right tributary of the Ems. It originates at the confluence of the Sagter Ems and the Soeste near the town Barßel. The Leda flows into the Ems near the city Leer...

, which drains into the Ems.