What began as a small crack in the pavement has now grown into a pothole so enormous that state officials have officially reclassified it as Louisiana’s third-largest lake, just behind Lake Pontchartrain and Toledo Bend.
Residents say the crater, located Uptown, has already attracted fishermen, kayakers, and at least one wedding party that mistook it for a waterfront venue. Neighbors report that catfish have somehow already been found swimming inside, though experts say no one can explain how the pothole filled itself overnight.
City leaders praised the development as a sign of progress, noting that while New Orleans still struggles with infrastructure and budgetary concerns, it now boasts another natural resource.
“This is exactly the kind of economic driver we’ve been waiting for,” one unidentified councilmember said while cutting a ribbon at the water’s edge. “Unlike traditional infrastructure projects, this one created itself and immediately became an asset on the balance sheet.”
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has confirmed that fishing licenses will be required for anyone attempting to cast a line. At the same time, city officials have begun marketing the site as a mixed-use waterfront district expected to reach completion several years before the street itself.
Entergy has also already announced plans for a publicly financed power plant at the site, with a new Because You Live Here Fee to be added to all future utility bills.
The Uptown lake is not the first time a pothole has revealed surprising potential. Earlier this year, archaeologists claimed a lost civilization was discovered in a Lakeview pothole, raising questions about what other secrets New Orleans’ streets might be hiding beneath the surface.