Lake Piso

Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Piso
image_lake =
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry=
location = Grand Cape Mount County
coords = coord|6|44|7|N|11|15|4|W|type:waterbody_region:LR|display=inline,title
type =
inflow = "various rivers"
outflow = "inlet to the Atlantic Ocean"
catchment =
basin_countries = Liberia
length = convert|19|mi|km|0|lk=on|abbr=on
width = convert|10|mi|km|0|lk=on|abbr=on
area = convert|103|km2|sqmi|0|lk=on|abbr=on
depth =
max-depth =
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands = several (Massatin Island)
cities =

Lake Piso, also known as Lake PisuWalters, "Guanya Pau", p. 79.] and Fisherman's Lake,Cole, "The Liberian Yearbook", p. 192.] Nelson, "Liberia, a Country Study", p. 47.] is an oblongStreissguth, "Liberia in Pictures", p. 10.] tidal lagoonFox, "Butterflies of Liberia", p. 26.] Hughes et al., "Directory of African Wetlands", p. 387.] in Grand Cape Mount County in western Liberia, near the town of Robertsport. At an area of convert|103|km2|sqmi|0|lk=on|abbr=on, it is the largest lake in Liberia.Streissguth, "Liberia in Pictures", p. 72.] Its name originates from a local term meaning "pigeon's hole" – a reference to the flocks of pigeons that once came to Lake Piso for water.

Hydrology and geology

The brackish water lake borders the Cape Mount peninsula, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow inlet known locally as the "bar mouth".Walters, "Guanya Pau", p. 39.] Various rivers empty into Lake Piso, including Mole Creek and Mafa River, which discharges at the 'bar mouth'. There are a number of islands in the lake, including Massatin Island, which offered a haven for some Liberians during the Liberian Civil War.

History

During World War II, Lake Piso functioned as a military base for Allied seaplanes.

Lake Piso overflowed its banks at least twice in 1998, causing heavy flooding in Garwular District. Flooding in August 1998 occurred due to a blockage of the narrow inlet connecting the lake to the Atlantic Ocean, damaging some homes. [cite news
title = Liberian Daily News Bulletin
work = Star Radio (Monrovia)
date = 1998-08-22 ] Additional flooding in September and October, brought about by heavy rains, affected over twenty settlements, causing at least ten deaths, leaving thousands homeless, and forcing others to leave their homes. [cite news
title = Flooding in Liberia
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/184693.stm
work = BBC News
date = 1998-10-01
accessdate = 2008-03-10 ] [cite news
title = Liberian Daily News Bulletin
work = Star Radio (Monrovia)
date = 1998-09-17 ] [cite news
title = Liberian Daily News Bulletin
work = Star Radio (Monrovia)
date = 1998-10-09 ] [cite news
title = Liberian Daily News Bulletin
work = Star Radio (Monrovia)
date = 1998-10-10 ] [cite news
title = Liberian Daily News Bulletin
work = Star Radio (Monrovia)
date = 1998-10-11 ] The floods led the government of Liberia to declare the area a "disaster zone". [cite news
title = Liberian Daily News Bulletin
work = Star Radio (Monrovia)
date = 1998-10-23 ]

On December 13–14, 2002, the "Papa Friends 2000" capsized in Lake Piso, at the confluence of the lake and Mafa River. The overcrowded wooden ferry was transporting approximately 200 passengers, most returning from the funeral of a local footballer. Only 15 people were rescued; the rest drowned and were recovered or presumed dead. [cite news
title = More than 100 feared dead in boat accident in Liberia
work = Xinhua News Agency
date = 2002-12-16 ] [cite news
author = Toweh, Alphonso
title = At least 60 dead as ferry overloaded with footballer's mourners capsizes
work = The Independent
page = 13
date = 2002-12-17 ] [cite news
title = More Than 100 Feared Drowned ...in Cape Mount Disaster
work = Africa News
publisher = AllAfrica, Inc.
date = 2002-12-17 ] [cite news
title = More than 80 bodies found in ferry accident
work = The San Diego Union-Tribune
page = A-15
date = 2002-12-18 ] [cite news
title = Ferry disaster death toll rising
work = The Ottawa Citizen
page = A14
date = 2002-12-18 ]

A nature reserve was designated near Lake Piso in 1999Outram, "Africa South of the Sahara 2004", p. 613.] and, as of 2004, the Lake Piso wetlands, covering an area of convert|76091|ha|km2|0|lk=on|abbr=on, were Liberia's only designated wetland of international importance.UNEP, "Desk Study on the Environment in Liberia", p. 52.]

Human activity

The area near the lagoon is the homeland of the Vai people.

Human activity in Lake Piso includes fishing and water sports such as swimming, canoeing and water skiing. Prior to the outbreak of the First Liberian Civil War, the lagoon was a popular travel destination for tourists. [cite news
title = Boat tragedy in Liberia
work = ONASA News Agency
date = 2002-12-16 ]

High-quality diamonds have been mined from the rivers that discharge into Lake Piso where "igneous intrusions provide potentially rich structural traps". [cite news
author = Mano River Resources
title = Mano River Resources - Final Results
work = Regulatory News Service
date = 1999-05-25 ]

Notes

References

* cite book
author = Cole, Henry B. (ed)
title = The Liberian Yearbook
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=nzwUAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Lake+Piso%22&pgis=1
year = 1962
publisher = Liberian Review
* cite book
author = Fox, Richard Middleton
title = The Butterflies of Liberia
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=SjhCAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Lake+Piso%22&pgis=1
year = 1965
publisher = American Entomological Society
* cite book
author = Hughes, R.H., J.S. Hughes, and G. Bernacsek
title = A Directory of African Wetlands
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=VLjafeXa3gMC&printsec=frontcover
year = 1992
publisher = World Conservation Union
location = Gland, Switzerland
isbn = 2-88032-949-3
* cite book
author = Nelson, Harold D. (ed)
title = Liberia, a Country Study
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=1Q5AU8_k52UC&q=%22Lake+Piso%22&pgis=1
year = 1985
publisher = United States Government Printing Office
* cite book
author = Outram, Quentin
title = Africa South of the Sahara 2004
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=jj4J-AXGDaQC&printsec=frontcover
year = 2003
publisher = Europa Publications
isbn = 978-1-85743-183-4
pages = 611–18
chapter = Liberia
* cite book
author = Streissguth, Thomas
title = Liberia in Pictures
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=P7fA6zZyHc0C&printsec=frontcover
series = Visual Geography Series
year = 2006
publisher = Twenty-First Century Books
isbn = 978-0-8225-2465-6
* cite book
author = United Nations Environment Programme
title = Desk Study on the Environment in Liberia
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=lSpRFGrZODgC&printsec=frontcover
year = 2004
publisher = United Nations Environment Programme
isbn = 978-9280724035
* cite book
author = Walters, Joseph Jeffrey
others = Gareth Griffiths and John Victor Singler (eds)
title = Guanya Pau
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=osYtU1bmrycC&printsec=frontcover
year = 2004
publisher = Broadview Press
isbn = 978-1-55111-365-4