Tadlac Lake
Definition
Tadlac Lake, colloquially known as Crocodile Lake, is a freshwater volcanic maar lake located in Barangay Tadlac in the municipality of Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The lake-filled maar sits along the southern shore of Laguna de Bay, protruding from the shore of the larger lake, and its slightly elevated crater rim is all that keeps it from being engulfed by Laguna de Bay. It is one of the maars of the Laguna Volcanic Field and is listed among the inactive volcanoes of the Philippines by PHIVOLCS.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadlac_Lake
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16002583
- DBpedia: N/A
Also Known As
Tadlac Lake; Crocodile Lake; Lake Tadlac.
Examples and Analogies
Tadlac Lake resembles a bowl set on the edge of a plate: the maar’s rim forms the bowl’s lip along the southern shore of Laguna de Bay, the plate. The nickname Crocodile Lake reflects its shape and historical reputation rather than a resident crocodile population.
Usage Scenarios
Because of its proximity to the University of the Philippines Los Baños, the lake has served as a natural laboratory for limnology classes and aquatic research. Fishpens for tilapia aquaculture have operated on the lake, and its shores are used for passive recreation by local residents.
Strategies
Aquaculture on the lake is managed by allocating fishpen areas and monitoring stocking density to prevent water-quality deterioration. Researchers value the lake for studying meromictic tendencies and volcanic lake chemistry in tropical settings.
Security and Safety Measures
Swimming and boating protocols address the lake’s sudden depth close to shore. Local government ordinances regulate fishpen construction to keep navigation lanes and water quality within safe bounds.
Historical Context
The maar formed during prehistoric phreatomagmatic eruptions of the Laguna Volcanic Field, when magma met groundwater and blasted out a shallow crater that later filled with rainwater. Scientific descriptions of the lake advanced in the twentieth century as Philippine volcanology and limnology matured, with PHIVOLCS cataloguing it among inactive volcanic features.
Challenges and Controversies
Fishpen overcrowding in past decades caused fish kills and disputes over aquaculture permits, prompting periodic clearing operations. Being a maar with limited water exchange, the lake remains sensitive to pollution from shoreline households and farming.