Phayao Lake

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Phayao Lake

Coordinates	19°10′N 99°52′ECoordinates: 19°10′N 99°52′E
Primary inflows	Ing River, Tam River
Primary outflows	Ing River
Basin countries	Thailand
Surface area	2.3 km²
Average depth	1.7 m
Surface elevation	380 m
Settlements	Phayao

The Phayao lake (Thai: กว๊านพะเยา, Kwan Phayao) is an artificial lake in northern Thailand. It covers an area of 2.3 km² at an altitude of 380 m. The lake has a mean depth of 1.7 m. The town Phayao is located on the southeast corner of the lake.

The lake is fed by the Ing River, which empties to the north, and to a lesser degree by the Tam River, which empties into the south of the lake. At the east the lake empties into the Ing River, which then flows to the Mekong. To the south and west of the lakes are rice paddies, at the mouth of the Ing River is marsh area.

The main aquatic plants in the lake are Najas graminea and Ceratophyllum demersum. 22 species of fish are recorded for the lake, most dominant are the artificially introduced Nile Tilapia (Tilapia nilolica) and the Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus). Also 47 bird species were found at the lake in a survey in 1982.

The lake was created in 1939 to improve irrigation in the area. It was added to the list of 61 most important wetland areas on August 1, 2000. There are currently plans to restore the ancient temple Wat Tilok Aram dating back to the end of the 15th century, which was submerged during the construction of the lake.^[1]^[2]