Tag:water=lake

water = lake
Description
A natural or semi-natural body of relatively still fresh or salt water which is surrounded by land.
Group: water
Used on these elements
Requires
natural=water
Useful combination
name=* intermittent=* salt=*
See also
water=reservoir water=pond water=basin water=oxbow water=stream_pool water=lagoon landuse=salt_pond
Status: approved
water=lake $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo
Tools for this tag
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Lake: a natural or semi-natural body of relatively still fresh or salt water, localized in a basin that is surrounded by land. Artificially created lakes should instead be tagged as water=reservoir, water=pond or water=basin.

How to map

Draw a closed way to form an area. Add water=lake + natural=water.

Tags used in combination

• name=* - The officially designated name.
• intermittent=yes - Intermittent lakes (which disappear seasonally).
• salt=yes - For salt lakes.

Islands

Lakes with one or more islands in them should be mapped as multipolygons.

First, map the island(s).

• for each island, draw the outline of the island by tracing its shoreline
• add place=island or if it is very small place=islet
• optional landuse=* can be added. For example, if the island is wooded, add landuse=forest or natural=wood.
• if the island has a name=* of its own, add it here too

Next, map the lake outline.

• draw a closed way following the lake's shoreline
• do not add any tags to this way – the lake's tags will instead be put on the parent relation

Finally, create a type=multipolygon relation.

• All tags, including natural=water and water=lake should be on the relation.
• Add the lake outline as a member with role outer
• add the island(s) as members with role inner

See also

• water=reservoir - an artificial lake which may be used to store water. Usually formed by a dam over a natural water course.
• water=pond - a body of standing water, man-made in most cases, that is usually smaller than a lake
• water=basin - an area of land artificially graded to hold water. Includes also structures typically without water.
• water=oxbow - U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake.
• water=stream_pool - a small but relatively deep collection of fresh water, occurring along a narrow stream.
• water=lagoon - a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by a barrier.
• landuse=salt_pond - a place where sea water is evaporated to extract its salt.
• OSM Inspector Water