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Lac de Gaschet

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Lake of Gaschet
Lac de Gaschet (French)
Location of the lake in the Caribbean.Location of the lake in the Caribbean.Lake of Gaschet
LocationPort-Louis Guadeloupe
Coordinates16°25′N 61°29′W / 16.417°N 61.483°W / 16.417; -61.483
Basin countriesGuadeloupe, (France)
Max. length4 km (2.5 mi) (max)
Surface area1 square kilometre (0 sq mi) (approx)
SettlementsPort-Louis

Lac de Gaschet ('Gaschet Lake') or Barrage de Gaschet ('Gaschet Dam') is an artificial reservoir that forms the largest freshwater lake in Guadeloupe.

Located within the Port-Louis municipality, on the northern side of the Grande-Terre island, and adjacent to Petit-Canal municipality, the lake is known for its rich diversity of bird-life.

History

The Lake was constructed in the early 1990s as part of an irrigation project to support local agriculture. It comes under the responsibility of the Guadeloupe Departmental Council [fr].

Geography

The Lake is approximately 4 km from the coast. It has several 'branches', of which one is crossed by the local road, D128. At its longest point it is approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) long, and has a surface area of about 100 ha. The dam which holds the water back, situated at the south-western end of the lake, is approximately 100 m long.

Birdlife

Pied-billed grebes occur in the IBA

The Lake is home to many water birds. Particularly numerous are masked ducks, pied-billed grebes and common moorhens. In 2000 the site was formally recognised as a natural zone of ecological interest, fauna and flora (ZNIEFF) and protected by fences, though some illegal shooting occurs. A 290 ha area, encompassing the lake and its immediate surrounds, has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.

References

  1. "BirdLife IBA Factsheet: GP004 Barrage de Gaschet" (in French). BirdLife International, Cambridge, England. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  2. Anthony Levesque; Alain Mathurin. "Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Guadeloupe". BirdLife International, Cambridge, England. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  3. "Gaschet Dam". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
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