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Lake Waccamaw

Coordinates: 34°17′12″N 78°30′35″W / 34.28667°N 78.50972°W / 34.28667; -78.50972
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Lake Waccamaw
Sunset from State Park by Joey Nobles
Location of Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina, USA
Location of Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina, USA
Lake Waccamaw
Location of Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina, USA
Location of Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina, USA
Lake Waccamaw
LocationColumbus County, North Carolina
Coordinates34°17′12″N 78°30′35″W / 34.28667°N 78.50972°W / 34.28667; -78.50972
Part ofLake Waccamaw State Park
Primary inflowsBig Creek; First Little, Second Little and Third Little Creeks
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencyNorth Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
DesignationState Lake
Surface area8,938 acres (3,617 ha)
Average depth7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Shore length114 mi (23 km)
Surface elevation43 ft (13 m)
SettlementsLake Waccamaw
References[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Waccamaw is a fresh water lake located in Columbus County in North Carolina. It is the largest of the natural Carolina Bay lakes.[2] Although bay trees (Magnolia virginiana L., Gordonia lasianthus Ellis, and Persea) are present within many Carolina Bays,[3] the term "bay" does not refer to the trees but comes instead from an early science publication by Glenn (1895), who used the word "bay" (which he described as "lake-like expanses") to refer to these features near the town of Darlington, South Carolina.[4] Lake Waccamaw is fed by four creeks: First, Second, Third, and Big creeks. The outlet forms the Waccamaw River which flows south-southwest to empty into the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown, South Carolina

Geography

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Lake Waccamaw has a broad, flat bottom of gyttja (mud) and peat, encircled by sandy shallows and submerged sandy terraces that extend up to 1,650 ft (500 m) offshore. The lake is oval in shape, measuring roughly 5.2 miles (8.4 km) by 3.5 miles (5.6 km), covering 8,938 acres (3,617 ha) surface area with an average depth of 7.5 feet (2.3 m) and a shoreline of about 14 miles (23 km). The marginal 70% of the lake bottom is composed of clear sand, whereas the central 30% is overlaid with a deposit of fibrous and pulpy peat.[5] The lake is fed mainly by Big Creek and the surrounding swamp lands. The organic matter from the decaying vegetation of the swamps makes the water tea-colored. The lake is full of life. Unlike most of the other Carolina Bay lakes, Lake Waccamaw gets the majority of its water from the surrounding swamp, instead of direct rain water. A limestone bluff along the north shore filters the water and reduces the acidity levels, making the lake ideal for a wide range of aquatic life.[3] Lake Waccamaw has several feeders, called First Little, Second Little and Third Little Creeks and then Big Creek as well as water from the Friar swamp. Underground springs feed the creeks.

Geology

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Lake Waccamaw is one of the larger Carolina Bays. Recent work by the U.S. Geological Survey has interpreted the Carolina Bays formed several thousands of years ago when the climate was colder, drier, and windier.[6] Thermokarst lakes develop by thawing of frozen ground (permafrost) and by subsequent modification by wind and water. Thus, this interpretation suggests that permafrost once extended as far south as the Carolina Bays during the last ice age and (or) previous ice ages.

The lake has been estimated to be between 15,000 and 30,000 years old. It is underlain by strata containing fossils of various ages, including the lower Pliocene Goose Creek Limestone[7] and the lower Pleistocene Waccamaw Formation. In 2008, a whale fossil was found in the lake.[8] Scientists have removed the bones of a whale that they say may date back 1 - 3 million years. The skull of the whale has been restored and is currently on display at Lake Waccamaw State Park through longstanding loan from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Ecology

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Several endemic species are found only in or around the lake, including the Waccamaw darter, silverside and killifish. The lake even contains some species of fish, such as the Waccamaw silverside, that are native only to Lake Waccamaw.[9] The water also contains a diversity of unusual mollusks. Genetic analysis shows that the mussel species reported as endemic are not distinct from populations outside the lake, but many of the freshwater mollusks and fish found in the lake are imperiled, especially with declining water quality.[10] Fifteen species of mussels and clams are reported from the lake. And, of the 11 snail species, the Waccamaw amnicola and siltsnail are also one-of-a-kind species. Alligators are also found at Lake Waccamaw.

Fish Species in Lake Waccamaw[11]
Species Family Habitat Trophic level Status
Acantharchus pomotis Centrarchidae demersal 3.0 native
Ameiurus catus Ictaluridae demersal 3.8 native
Ameiurus natalis Ictaluridae demersal 3.3 native
Ameiurus platycephalus Ictaluridae demersal 3.4 native
Amia calva Amiidae demersal 3.8 native
Anguilla rostrata Anguillidae demersal 3.7 native
Aphredoderus sayanus Aphredoderidae demersal 3.4 native
Centrarchus macropterus Centrarchidae demersal 3.7 native
Cyprinus carpio carpio Cyprinidae benthopelagic 3.0 native
Dorosoma cepedianum Clupeidae pelagic 2.0 native
Elassoma zonatum Elassomatidae demersal 3.0 native
Enneacanthus gloriosus Centrarchidae demersal 3.0 native
Enneacanthus obesus Centrarchidae demersal 3.0 native
Erimyzon oblongus Catostomidae demersal 2.8 native
Erimyzon sucetta Catostomidae demersal 2.8 native
Esox americanus americanus Esocidae demersal 3.4 native
Esox niger Esocidae demersal 4.0 native
Etheostoma fusiforme Percidae benthopelagic 3.2 native
Etheostoma perlongum Percidae benthopelagic 3.4 endemic
Fundulus waccamensis Fundulidae benthopelagic 3.0 endemic
Gambusia affinis Poeciliidae benthopelagic 3.2 native
Lepisosteus osseus Lepisosteidae demersal 4.2 native
Lepomis auritus Centrarchidae demersal 3.1 native
Lepomis gibbosus Centrarchidae benthopelagic 3.1 native
Lepomis gulosus Centrarchidae demersal 3.7 native
Lepomis macrochirus Centrarchidae benthopelagic 3.3 native
Lepomis punctatus Centrarchidae demersal 3.0 native
Menidia extensa Atherinidae pelagic 3.2 endemic
Micropterus salmoides Centrarchidae benthopelagic 3.8 native
Morone americana Moronidae demersal 3.0 native
Notemigonus crysoleucas Cyprinidae demersal 3.0 native
Notropis chalybaeus Cyprinidae benthopelagic 3.0 native
Notropis petersoni Cyprinidae benthopelagic 3.0 native
Noturus gyrinus Ictaluridae demersal 3.2 native
Perca flavescens Percidae benthopelagic 3.7 native
Pomoxis nigromaculatus Centrarchidae benthopelagic 4.2 native
Umbra pygmaea Umbridae demersal 3.6 native
Water Level from the shore in 2007 by Joey Nobles

The lack of rain in the eastern portion of North Carolina during 2007 affected the water level in Lake Waccamaw. Water levels dropped greater than 15 inches (380 mm) below normal as of late 2007. The record low is 19.5 inches (500 mm) recorded in 1993. The record high was 37 inches (940 mm) above normal in 1999. In 2008, some additional rain and swamp drainage had increased the water levels.

In October 2012 there was a hydrilla outbreak. Efforts to free the lake of the invasive weed were estimated to take between 5 and 7 years.[12]

The lake was established as a North Carolina State Lake in 1929, and it is managed by the adjacent Lake Waccamaw State Park.

A dam at the outlet, built in 1926, regulates lake levels.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Lake Waccamaw". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. June 17, 1980.
  2. ^ "Size of the North Carolina State Parks System" (PDF). North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. January 1, 2011. pp. 1–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "History of lake Waccamaw, North Carolina".
  4. ^ Glenn, L.C., 1895, Some notes on Darlington (S.C.), 'Bays': Science, v. 2, no. 41, p. 472-475
  5. ^ "Search FishBase". www.fishbase.de. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Swezey, C.S. (2020) "Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets in inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province", in Inland Dunes of North America (N. Lancaster and P. Hesp, eds.), Springer Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 11-63. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-40498-7_2 ISBN 978-3-030-40498-7
  7. ^ Campbell, Matthew R.; Campbell, Lyle D. (1995). "Preliminary Biostratigraphy and Molluscan Fauna of the Goose Creek Limestone of Eastern South Carolina". Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology. 27 (1–4). Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Search FishBase". www.fishbase.de. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  9. ^ McGrath, Gareth. "Whale of a find in Lake Waccamaw". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  10. ^ McCartney, Michael A.; Bogan, Arthur E.; Sommer, Kristine M.; Wilbur, Ami E. (December 2016). "Phylogenetic Analysis of Lake Waccamaw Endemic Freshwater Mussel Species". American Malacological Bulletin. 34 (2): 109–120. doi:10.4003/006.034.0207. S2CID 90395424.
  11. ^ "Species in Waccamaw". FishBase. July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  12. ^ Wyche, Ray (October 20, 2012). "Mysterious weed in lake is hydrilla". The News Reporter. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Parker, Bobby Powell; Little, Susan Prescott. "History". Town of Lake Waccamaw. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
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