Paoay Lake (locally known as Dacquel a Danum; Ilokano: Big Water) is a lake within the municipality of
Paoay
Paoay, officially the Municipality of Paoay ( ilo, Ili ti Paoay; fil, Bayan ng Paoay), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,001 people.
The town is hom ...
, in northwestern
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It is the largest lake in the province of
Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos Norte ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City, located in the northwest corner ...
and one of the largest natural lakes in the area.
Historically known as ''Lago de Nanguyudan'', the lake supposedly was the site of a prosperous
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
. The freshwater lake and its surroundings was declared a national park in 1969 by virtue of ''Republic Act 5631''. In 1978, through ''Presidential Decree 1554'', the park was reduced to an area of concentrated on the lake itself around its highest water level.
Geography
The lake covers a surface area of with an average depth of . It is bounded by the ''
barangays
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
'' of Suba in the north, Nanguyudan in the northeast, Pasil in the east, Sungadan in the south, and Nagbacalan in the west near the border with the city of
Laoag
Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...
and some away from the sea. It was formed as a result of coastal progradation and the subsequent development of a sand dune barrier during the late
Quaternary Period
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
. The lake has no
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...
and surface runoff from surrounding hills during rainy season.
zooplankton
Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...
which includes 8 species of copepods, 8 species of
cladocerans
The Diplostraca or Cladocera, commonly known as water fleas, are a superorder of small crustaceans that feed on microscopic chunks of organic matter (excluding some predatory forms).
Over 1000 species have been recognised so far, with many more ...
and 11 species of
rotifers
The rotifers (, from the Latin , "wheel", and , "bearing"), commonly called wheel animals or wheel animalcules, make up a phylum (Rotifera ) of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate animals.
They were first described by Rev. John H ...
. Fish recorded include
tilapia
Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...
,
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...
water hyacinth
''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.tape grass and ''Buntót-pusà'' (lit. "cat's tail", ''Dysophylla auricularia'').
On the slopes around and above the lake grow '' ipil-ipil'', acacia,
gmelina
''Gmelina'' is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae. It consists of about 35 species in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Southeast Asia, India and a few in Africa. Some species such as ''G. arborea'' have been planted and/or become nat ...
avifauna
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...
brahminy kite
The brahminy kite (''Haliastur indus''), formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harrie ...
, and
Philippine duck
The Philippine duck (''Anas luzonica'') is a large dabbling duck of the genus ''Anas''. Its native name is ''papan''. It is endemic to the Philippines.
It eats shrimp, fish, insects, and vegetation, and it frequents all types of wetlands.
Tax ...
, including some migratory birds such as the
grey heron
The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...
,
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
, and
great egret
The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...
.
Economy
Paoay Lake is one of the many tourist attractions in Ilocos Norte. Some of its most visited sights include the ''Malacañang ti Amianan'' ( Malacañang of the North), a historical house museum built by the family of former president Ferdinand Marcos, the 18-hole Paoay Golf Course, and a sports complex. Also located in the vicinity are Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino and Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center. It is accessible via the Paoay Lake Road from the main highway and the Laoag–Balaccad Road from the
Laoag International Airport
Laoag International Airport ( ilo, Sangalubongan a Pagpatayaban ti Laoag; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Laoag; ) is the main airport serving the general area of Laoag, the capital city of the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. It is the ...
.
Aside from tourism, small-scale aquaculture has also been introduced as livelihood of the local townsfolk residing in the area. Fish pens primarily of tilapia can be found near the shores. The lake's status as a protected area, however, enables the government to monitor and control human activity in the lake in order to prevent misuse of its resources.
See also
*
List of national parks of the Philippines
National Parks of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Liwasan ng Pilipinas) are places of natural or historical value designated for protection and sustainable utilization by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under the National Int ...