Lake Pontchartrain (/ˈpɒntʃətreɪn/ PAHN-chə-trayn; French: Lac Pontchartrain, French: [lak pɔ̃ʃaʁtʁɛ̃]) is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of 630 square miles (1,600 km²) with an average depth of 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 m). Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging.