Question: can there be a whirlpool in a lake

Answer: Yes, There was a short-lived whirlpool that sucked in a portion of the 1300 acre (~530 hectares) Lake Peigneur in Louisiana, United States after a drilling mishap in November 1980. This was not a naturally occurring whirlpool, but a man-made disaster caused by underwater drillers breaking through the roof of a salt mine. The lake then drained into the mine until the mine filled and the water levels equalized but the ten-foot deep lake was now 1,300 feet deep. This mishap resulted in destruction of five houses, loss of nineteen barges and eight tug boats, oil rigs, a mobile home, and most of a botanical garden. The adjacent settlement of Jefferson Island was reduced in area by 10%. A crater 0.5-mile (~1km) across was left behind. Nine of the barges which had sunk floated back.