Lake Earl

Lake Earl
Lake Earl from the Air
Coordinates	41°49′32″N 124°11′19″W / 41.825669°N 124.188693°W / 41.825669; -124.188693
Type	fresh water to saline lagoon
Primary outflows	Pacific Ocean
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	6,900 acres (28 km2)
Surface elevation	14 m (46 ft)
References

Lake Earl is the largest lagoon in California, and a navigable body of water partly within Tolowa Dunes State Park and partly within Lake Earl Wildlife Area in Del Norte County, California and the third-most important seabird area on the West Coast after the Farallons and the Channel Islands.

Lake Earl has two principal lobes separated by "the Narrows." The smaller lobe, which is also closer to the ocean and the sand bar breach site, is called Lake Tolowa or Lake Talawa by the California Department of Fish and Game. The larger lobe of the lagoon is Lake Earl. Lake Earl is mostly freshwater while Lake Tolowa has a higher salt content. As opposed to an estuary, which is typically open to the ocean and fresh water constantly, a lagoon seals up seasonally and fills with a predominance of fresh water. The lagoon, located on the coast of California about 11 miles (18 km) south of the border with Oregon, is manually breached when the water levels rise to 8 feet (2.4 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) mean sea level (MSL). Though references to levels on USGS charts are made relative to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) leading to difficulty over the management of the lake's levels. If allowed to breach naturally, the water surface would rise to 12 feet (3.7 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m). At 10 feet (3.0 m) MSL there is approximately 4,900 acres (20 km²) of water surface in the lagoons and 4,950 acres (20.0 km²) of wetlands; at 8 feet (2.4 m) MSL, the surface waters area is approximately 4,200 acres (17 km²). At 2 feet (0.61 m) MSL, the combined surface area is a mere 2,191 acres (8.87 km²) of open water surrounded by 2,000 acres (8.1 km²)of wetlands.

Lake Earl is largest coastal lagoon in California. Due to the remoteness and natural beauty of the landscape, the lake is often used for birders and is locally popular with duck hunters. Fishing for cutthroat trout is a popular use. The lake is lightly used by kayakers. Water skiing is prohibited.