Belhavel Lough

Belhavel Lough
Claonloch (Irish)
Belhavel Lough location in Ireland
Belhavel Lough location in Ireland
Location in Ireland
LocationCounty Leitrim
Coordinates54°12′31″N 8°11′1″W / 54.20861°N 8.18361°W / 54.20861; -8.18361
Primary outflowsDiffagher River
Catchment area22.24 km2 (8.6 sq mi)
Basin countriesIreland
Surface area1.01 km2 (0.39 sq mi)
Surface elevation60 m (200 ft)
References[1][2]

Belhavel Lough (Irish: Claonloch, meaning 'crooked lake')[3] is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. It is located in north County Leitrim near the village of Killarga.

Geography and hydrology

Belhavel Lough is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Killarga and 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Drumkeeran.[1] It covers an area of 1.01 km2 (0.4 sq mi).[2] The lake drains east into the Diffagher River, which eventually reaches Lough Allen.[1]

Ecology

The water quality was reported to be satisfactory c. 2001 – c. 2003 with a mesotrophic rating,[4][n 1] but had a "poor" ecological status c. 2007 – c. 2009 indicating pollution,[6] though Zebra mussel infestation was not reported.[7] The ecology of Belhavel Lough, and other county waterways, is threatened by curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam invasive species.[8][9]

See also

References and notes

Notes

  1. ^ Trophic states of "Oligotrophic" and "Mesotrophic" are desirable, but freshwater lakes rated 'Eutrophic' or 'Hypertrophic' indicates pollution.[5]

Primary sources

  1. ^ a b c "Belhavel Lough" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b Free, Gary; Little, Ruth; Tierney, Deirdre; Donnelly, Karol & Caroni, Rossana (2006). A Reference Based Typology and Ecological Assessment System for Irish Lakes (PDF) (Report). Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). p. 10. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Claonloch/Belhavel Lough". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  4. ^ Clenaghan, Clinton & Crowe 2005, p. 97.
  5. ^ Clenaghan, Clinton & Crowe 2005, p. 8.
  6. ^ EPA 2010, pp. 7, 84.
  7. ^ EPA 2010, p. 80.
  8. ^ Pedreschi et al. 2014.
  9. ^ Clenaghan, Clinton & Crowe 2005, p. 16.

Secondary sources