Lake Balanan is located in Barangay Sandulot in the town of Siaton,
Negros Oriental. The 24-hectare lake which the locals called linaw
is encased by hills and ranges rising 200 meters from the banks - the Balanan mountain range
on the east; and on the west, the Nasig-id
mountain range; and an old forest made more dense by close to a hundred
towering dalakit / balete trees. The northern part is bounded by the Lamarao, Balanan
and Managobsob creeks; in the the northwest side, the Lamarao and Balanan
Falls supplying water to the lake.
Lake Balanan is technically or was originally a river. It was formed
after a strong earthquake on 05 May 1925 that registered 6.8 on the Richter
Scale. That earthquake resulted to a massive landslide on both sides
of the Balanan and Nasig-id ridges. Felled centuries-old trees and
house-size boulders rolled down to a portion of the Balanan River forming a
natural dam. The closing of this portion of the river for several
years resulted to the rising of the water level that eventually created what
is now the Lake Balanan.
The conservation efforts in Lake Balanan was initiated by Emilio Macias II,
then governor of Negros Oriental. During his term as governor, the
provincial government pursued conservation and development projects in Lake
Balanan in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources. The Balanan Lake Development Authority was eventually
created in December 2007 through the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ordinance,
mandated to take
charge in the development, administration and maintenance of Lake Balanan
and its watershed.
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