Key C-2.  Key to Lakes.


The lake designation is for permanently flooded deep waters (>6.6 feet). Some classification systems include shallow waterbodies or periodically exposed areas as "lakes." The Cowardin et al. system considers standing waterbodies larger than 20 acres to be part of the lacustrine system (regardless of water depth; shallow = wetlands; >6.6 feet = deepwater habitat), and smaller ones typically part of the palustrine wetlands. For our purposes, "shallow lakes" and "seasonal or intermittent lakes" are considered some type of terrene or lotic wetland depending on the presence and location of a stream. Lentic wetlands are associated with permanently flooded standing waterbodies deeper than 6.6 feet at low water.


1. Waterbody is not dammed or impounded.............................................................Natural Lake


Modifiers: Main body, Open embayment, Semi-enclosed embayment, Barrier beach lagoon, Seiche-influenced, River-fed and Stream-fed descriptors. Can also use applicable modifiers listed under Pond (see Key A-2).


*Can use additional modifiers listed under Pond (see Key A-2) and others (e.g., crater, lava flow, aeolian, fjord, oxbow, other floodplain, glacial, alkali, and manmade), as appropriate.

  1. Waterbody is dammed, impounded, or excavated…………………………………………………………...2
  2. Waterbody is dammed or impounded……………………………………………………………………………...3

2. Waterbody is excavated...........................................................................Excavated Lake


3. Dammed river valley............................................................Dammed River Valley Lake


Modifiers: Reservoir, Hydropower, and Seiche-influenced; also River-fed and Stream-fed descriptors.


Note: When the dam inundates former floodplains and other low-lying areas, the waterbody is considered a Dammed River Valley Lake. If the dam crosses a higher gradient river and increase water depth in an channel without significant flooding of much neighboring "land," the waterbody is considered the dammed reach of a river.


3. Dammed natural lake or other landscape............................................Other Dammed Lake


Modifiers: Former natural lake, Artificial lake, River-fed and Stream-fed descriptors.


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