Lake Choctaw
| Lake Choctaw | |
|---|---|
| Location | Luzerne County and Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°55′46″N 76°07′49″W / 40.9294°N 76.1304°WCoordinates: 40°55′46″N 76°07′49″W / 40.9294°N 76.1304°W |
| Type | manmade lake |
| Primary inflows | Sugarloaf Creek |
| Primary outflows | Sugarloaf Creek |
| Surface area | 22.1 acres (8.9 ha) |
| Shore length1 | 0.85 miles (1.37 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,266 feet (386 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Choctaw is a manmade lake and reservoir in Luzerne County and Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It has a surface area of 22.1 acres. The lake is situated on Sugarloaf Creek. In the past, the lake had poor water quality and a low pH. However, after the installation of a treatment system on the nearby Oneida Number One Tunnel, the water quality rapidly improved and fish were introduced into it.
The elevation of Lake Choctaw is 1,266 feet (386 m) above sea level. The lake is on Sugarloaf Creek, but also receives water from the Oneida Number One Tunnel.
The only rock formation in the vicinity of Lake Choctaw is the Mauch Chunk Formation. The only soil in the vicinity of the lake is the Hazleton soil. There are some areas prone to flooding immediately south of the lake. However, there are no such areas immediately north of the lake.
The land immediately north and east of Lake Choctaw has a zoning designation of C-1. The land immediately south and west of the lake mainly has the zoning designations of C and R.
Lake Choctaw is dammed by an impoundment. The dam is known as the Lake Choctaw Dam. The dam was considered to be unsafe in 1979. The lake is manmade.
Lake Choctaw was historically highly acidic. However, in modern times, it has become alkaline, with a high pH and concentration of alkalinity. It also has a low concentration of aluminum. Additionally, the lake serves as an oxidation/precipitation basin, helping to remove aluminum from the water discharged by the Oneida Number One Tunnel.
Lake Choctaw has been described as "once-dead, [and] totally acidified". However, more recently, its water quality was described as "very good" in the TMDL for Catawissa Creek. The water quality of the lake is expected to improve further in the future.
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