Lake Peigneur | |
---|---|
Location | Iberia Parish, Louisiana |
Coordinates | 29°58′52″N 91°58′59″W / 29.981°N 91.983°W |
Primary inflows | estimated 8.47 cu ft/s (0.240 m3/s) from catchment[1] |
Primary outflows | Delcambre Canal |
Catchment area | 10.2 sq mi (26 km2) of the Vermilion-Teche Basin[1] |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 1,125 acres (455 ha)[1] |
Average depth | 3 ft (1 m)[1] |
Max. depth | 200 ft (61 m)[1] |
Lake Peigneur[2] is a brackish lake in the U.S. state of Louisiana, 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) north of Delcambre and 9.1 mi (14.6 km) west of New Iberia, near the northernmost tip of Vermilion Bay. With a maximum depth of 200 feet (60 meters), it is the deepest lake in Louisiana. Its name comes from the French word "peigneur", meaning "one who combs."
Previously, it had been a 10-foot-deep (3 m) freshwater lake, popular for recreation, until human activity caused an unusual disaster on November 20, 1980, that changed its structure and the surrounding land.[1][3]