| Hutt Lagoon | |
|---|---|
| View of Hutt Lagoon from south east shore | |
| Location | Western Australia |
| Coordinates | [1] |
| Lake type | salt lake |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Max. length | 14 kilometres |
| Max. width | 2500 hectares |
| Surface elevation | near sea-level |
Hutt Lagoon is a salt lake located near the coast just north of the mouth of the Hutt River, in midwest Western Australia.
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Nominally located at [1], Hutt Lagoon is an elongate lake that sits in a dune swale adjacent to the coast. The town of Gregory is located between the ocean and the lake's southern shores, and the road to Kalbarri, George Grey Drive, runs along its western edge.[2]
The lake is about 14 kilometres in length along its long axis which is oriented in a north-west directionn, parallel with the coast. It is around 2 kilometres wide. Its area is about 2500 hectares.[2]
It was probably once the estuary of the Hutt River, but became a deadwater, and was eventually completely sealed off from the river by a sandbar.[3] The river mouth is now around 2 kilometres south of the lagoon, and the only inflow to the lake is from rain, some minor creeks, and groundwater seepage. Depth is highly seasonal; when full it is about a metre deep.[4]
Hutt Lagoon is a pink lake, a salt lake with a red or pink hue due to the presence of carotenoid-producing algae, in this case Dunaliella salina. About 50 hectares of Hutt Lagoon have been converted to ponds for growing and harvesting this algae, which is of commercial importance as a source of beta carotene.[3]
The Hutt Lagoon comprises most of the Hutt Lagoon System, a DIWA-listed wetland system that also takes in a number of adjacent small lakes, such as Utcha Swamp.[4]