Lochan na h-Earba
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Lochan na h-Earba
| image = Lochan na h-Earba - geograph.org.uk - 923736.jpg
| caption = View northeast from the southwest end of the west loch
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
|pushpin_map=Scotland Highland
| location = Highland, Scotland
| coords = {{Coord|56|55|12|N |4|29|20|W|region:GB_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| type = freshwater loch
| inflow =
| outflow = Loch Laggan via the Allt Labhrach
| catchment =
| basin_countries = Scotland
| length =
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| elevation = {{convert|370|m|ft|abbr=on}}
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The single name Lochan na h-Earba is applied to two lochs above (and to the south of) Loch Laggan in Highland, Scotland, close to the historic boundary between Lochaber and Badenoch. It is thought that the two lochs once formed a single loch, but became separated by the build up alluvial deposits from the Moy Burn ({{langx|gd|Allt a' Mhaigh}}), which now joins the short watercourse that connects the two lochs.{{cite book|author=Tom Weir|title=The Scottish Lochs|pages=142–3|publisher=Constable and Company|date=1980|ISBN=0-09-463270-7}} Ordnance Survey maps of the area show a single name printed across both lochs. They occupy a narrow glen running southwest to northeast, and roughly parallel with Loch Laggan, from which they are separated by the Binnein Shuas range of hills. The Munros of Geal Charn and Creag Pitridh are the highest peaks of the hills to the southeast.Ordnance Survey, 1:50000 Landranger series. Sheet 42. Glen Garry and Loch Rannoch.
The lochs lie on the Ardverikie Estate.{{cite web|url=http://www.whoownsscotland.org.uk/property.php?p=1194 |title=Property Page:Ardverikie Estate|website=Who Owns Scotland|accessdate=10 August 2020}} They have been used as the location for several film and television productions, most frequently appearing regularly in the BBC series Monarch of the Glen, which was largely filmed in and around the Laggan area. Scenes from Mrs Brown and Outlander have also been filmed here.{{cite web|url=http://www.scotlandthemovie.com/movies/lochan.html |title=Lochan na h-Earba, Badenoch|website=Scotland the Movie|accessdate=10 August 2020}}
Both lochs were fully surveyed by the Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland in 1902.{{cite web|url=https://maps.nls.uk/bathymetric/basin_order.html |title=Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland: Alphabetical listing by river basin, then loch name|publisher=National Library of Scotland|accessdate=10 August 2020}}
Earba Storage project
{{main|Earba Storage Project}}
A 1.8 GW / 40 GWh pumped-storage hydroelectricity project received planning consent in 2025, with Earba as the lower reservoir, and Loch Leamhain as the higher reservoir at {{convert|650|m|ft|abbr=on}} altitude.{{cite web |last1=Lynas |first1=Matthew |title=Largest ever UK pumped hydro scheme granted consent |url=https://www.ess-news.com/2025/03/31/largest-ever-uk-pumped-hydro-scheme-granted-consent/ |website=Energy Storage |date=31 March 2025}}
The west loch
The west loch sits an elevation of {{convert|1151.7|ft|m|0|order=flip}}, and is {{convert|1.75|mi|km|1|order=flip}} in length. It has a surface area of {{convert|263|acre|hectare|order=flip}}, and contains {{convert|408,000,000|cuft|m3|order=flip}} of water. It has a maximum depth of {{convert|81|ft|m|0|order=flip}}, and a mean depth of {{convert|35.5|ft|m|0|order=flip}}. It is fed by numerous small burns, with the most significant being those descending from Beinn a' Chlachair.{{cite book|url=https://maps.nls.uk/bathymetric/text/37539 |title=Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909|volume=II {Pt 1)|pages=362-4}}
The east loch
File:View along the eastern Lochan na h-Earba.jpg
The east loch is fed chiefly by the outflow from the west loch, to which it is connected by a short watercourse. It is slightly lower than the west loch, with an elevation of {{convert|1142.3|ft|m|0|order=flip}}. It is the smaller of the two lochs, being {{convert|2|km|mi}} long, with a surface area of {{convert|146|acre|hectare|order=flip}}, and contains {{convert|191,000,000|cuft|m3|order=flip}} of water. It has a maximum depth of {{convert|69|ft|m|order=flip}}, and a mean depth of {{convert|31|ft|m|0|order=flip}}.