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 km) with an average depth of 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 m). Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about 40 miles (64 km) from west to east and 24 miles (39 km) from south to north.