Catahoula Lake (french: Lac Catahoula) is a large freshwater

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located in LaSalle Parish and Rapides Parish of central

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Catahoula Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the state covering just over . It is owned by the State of Louisiana and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Catahoula is a shallow, and poorly drained wetland supported by the

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

and several creeks. It was drained by the Old River, French Fork and a number of bayous until several

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

projects changed the lake's drainage characteristics. It is known as the largest moist soil unit in North America and supports a variety of waterfowl including

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

, and wading birds and is a recreational area for hunting, fishing, hiking, sight seeing, and

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

. Access to the lake is limited on the western shores due to private and corporate fencing.

Controversy

There has been controversy over the classification of Catahoula Lake. The area is considered a "salt lake" that was created when seismic activity caused the land to sink. The area has dry and wet periodic cycles, flooding annually from the Little,

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

, Ouachita (Black) River, and

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. To advance the wildlife ecosystem, including ducks, control structures were built to enhance this annual flooding. Every year after June, most of the water is drained. This action facilitates plant growth, especially of Chufa, also called yellow nutsedge. A lawsuit and district court ruling determined that the area is not a lake but a river. The ramifications of this ruling, which has been appealed to The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, are that, as a river, it may not be managed for public use.NOLA Media
(The Times-Picayune- posted Aug 10, 2017)- Retrieved 2018-05-14

References

External links

Louisiana Department of WildlifeUSGS Modeling the Bathymetry of Catahoula Lake
* * {{authority control Lakes of Louisiana Ramsar sites in the United States Bodies of water of Rapides Parish, Louisiana Wetlands and bayous of Louisiana