Lake Okeechobee
Largest freshwater lake in Florida, shallow and historically significant.
Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida and the eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states. It is the largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within one of the contiguous 48 states, but not the largest in the entire contiguous U.S. when considering lakes that cross state lines. The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti words oki (water) and chubi (big). The lake covers 730 square miles and is exceptionally shallow, with an average depth of only 9 feet.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Florida
- Inflow
- Kissimmee River, Fisheating Creek, Taylor Creek
- Outflow
- Everglades, Caloosahatchee River, St. Lucie River
- Countries
- United States
- Length
- 57.5 km
- Area
- 1,900 sqkm
- Depth
- 2.7 m
- Max Depth
- 3.7 m
- Volume
- 5.2 km3 (estimated)
- Residence Time
- 3 years
- Elevation
- 3.74 to
- Islands
- Kreamer, Torry, Ritta, Grass, Observation, Bird, Horse, Hog, Eagle Bay
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The area around Lake Okeechobee was occupied by the Belle Glade culture from about 1000 BCE until about 1700 CE. European goods have been found in many archaeological sites, but little is known of what happened to the people. The area was unoccupied by the time Seminoles settled in southern Florida. In the 16th century, Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda reported a lake called Mayaimi, meaning 'big water,' and several towns subject to the Calusa. Later in the 16th century, René Goulaine de Laudonnière heard of a lake called Serrope. By the 18th century, British mapmakers knew it as Laguna de Espiritu Santo, and in the early 19th century it was known as Mayacco Lake or Lake Mayaca. The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was fought on the northern shore in 1837 during the Seminole Wars. Three islands on the southern rim—Kreamer, Ritta, and Torey—were settled by early pioneers who farmed the fertile but challenging muck; by the 1960s, all settlements were abandoned.
Reader's Guide
Lake Okeechobee's significance lies in its role as a major freshwater resource and its history of flood control and drainage projects. In the early 20th century, the Florida Legislature created the Everglades Drainage District to lower the lake's water level and drain the Everglades. Canals completed by 1917, combined with a 1917 drought, exposed much of the lake bed and caused muck fires. A levee built in 1921 was breached in 1924 and collapsed during the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, killing about 300 people. After the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane caused at least 2,500 deaths, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the Herbert Hoover Dike. The 1947 hurricanes led to the Central and South Florida Flood Control Project. In the 21st century, hurricanes Frances, Jeanne, Wilma, and Irma had no major adverse effects, though the lake rose after Wilma. In 2007, toxic mud containing arsenic was removed from the lake bed. The lake's level dropped to an all-time low of 8.82 feet in July 2007, and Tropical Storm Fay raised it in August 2008.
Did You Know?
- The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane caused flooding that killed an estimated 2,500–3,000 people, with the National Weather Service's 2003 revision suggesting 2,500 or more.
- In 2007, thousands of truckloads of phosphorus and nutrient-rich sediments were removed from the lake's floor to restore its natural sandy base.
More in Great Lakes Of The World 1-24
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