| Black Lake | |
|---|---|
| Cypress trees dominate the waters of the lake. | |
| Location | Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Black Lake Bayou |
| Primary outflows | Red River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 5 miles (8.0 km) |
| Max. width | 1.8 miles (2.9 km) |
| Surface area | about 7,000 acres (28 km2) |
| Surface elevation | 102 ft (31 m) |
| Settlements | Ashland, Campti, Clarence, Creston, and Goldonna |
Black Lake is a reservoir located between Creston and Campti in northern Louisiana.[1][2] Water feeds into Black Lake from Black Lake Bayou, a watershed that extends from north of Gibsland in Bienville Parish and south to Clarence in Natchitoches Parish.[3] through the parishes of Claiborne, Webster, Bienville, Red River and Natchitoches. The elevation of the lake is 102 feet (31 m). Louisiana Highway 9 runs across Black Lake. On the west side of Hwy 9 the body of water is called Black Lake—the east is called Clear Lake or Clear Lake Bayou. The Clear Lake side is near another body of water: Saline Lake. Between Clear Lake and Saline Lake is the Alan Chiverly Dam, constructed in 1934. Road 1226 also extends between the lakes.[4]
People who reside around Black Lake use the Campti and Clarence ZIP Codes which are 71411 and 71414 and are in the Lakeview Jr/Sr school district. There are also boat launches and campgrounds for fishing and recreation. Bell's Camp, founded in 1936 by the late Albert and Eva Bell, is still operated by their daughter, Joy Bell Wimberly (born 1924). Nearby is a catfish and steak restaurant known as Sea and Sirloin, which opened in the early 1980s.
Black Lake is wide in some places such as at the Hwy 9 bridge and tight in other places because of the growth of cypress trees. There are channels cut into the lake that allow clearance for boats. Boats stay in the channels or risk grounding the bottom of the boat on tree stumps. The aquatic vegetation such as moss, seaweed and algae are also visible at surface level.
The latitude and longitude coordinates for Black Lake are 31.9574, -93.0466 and the altitude is 102 feet (31 m).[5]