Angove Lake is a permanent

Permanent

The permanent of a square matrix in linear algebra, is a function of the matrix similar to the determinant. The permanent, as well as the determinant, is a polynomial in the entries of the matrix...

 freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in the Great Southern area of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

Description

The lake is part of the Moates Lake System along with Moates Lake and Lake Gardner. All of these lakes were linked to form a large estuarine

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 system during the last interglacial period approximately 120,000 years ago.

The main waterbody covers a maximum area of 40 hectares (99 acre) but the associated wetlands covers an area closer to 100 hectares (247 acre). The area south of the lake was drained with a 3 kilometres (2 mi) channel being constructd to connect it with Gardner Creek. The water in the lake is fresh and low in tannin

Tannin

A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...

, water from the river system that supplies the lake is also used pumped to Albany

Albany, Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

 as part of the towns water supply.

Environment

Very little of the catchment is cleared so the stream system and the lake are in almost pristine condition. The lake itself is essentially a large sedge swamp with large stands of Baumea articulata with fringing forest of paperbark and Agonis

Agonis

Agonis is a genus of four species in the plant family Myrtaceae. All are endemic to Western Australia, growing near the coast in the south west.Only one, Agonis flexuosa, grows to tree size, the others generally growing as tall shrubs....

. The lake forms part of the Two Peoples Bay and Mount Manypeaks Important Bird Area

Two Peoples Bay and Mount Manypeaks Important Bird Area

The Two Peoples Bay and Mount Manypeaks Important Bird Area is a 261 km2 tract of coastal and subcoastal land east of the city of Albany in south-west Western Australia. It is an important site for the conservation of several rare and threatened birds....

, identified as such by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

because of its significance in the conservation of several rare and threatened bird species.