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Lake Okeechobee, locally referred to as Lake O, The Big Lake, or simply The Lake is a freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the fourth largest lake completely within the United States. After Lake Michigan (Great Lakes), Lake Iliamna of Alaska, and Great Salt Lake in Utah. Lake Okeechobee is roughly one-tenth the size of Lake Ontario, smallest of the Great Lakes, but roughly half of Lake Ontario is within Canada. Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,890 km²) and is relatively shallow, with an average depth of only 3 m (9 ft). The lake covers land in Florida counties of Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, and Hendry.
The floor of the lake is a limestone basin and the lake varies in depth from 1 to 12 feet (0.3 to 4 meters), its water being somewhat murky due to nutrient-enriched runoff from surrounding farmlands. The surface is above sea level, and the lake is enclosed by a 20-foot high dike built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a hurricane in 1928 caused a breach of the old dike, allowing water to flood surrounding communities and claim thousands of lives. There are several inflows, including Taylor Creek and the Kissimmee River, and several small outlets, such as the Miami River, the New River on the east, and the Shark River on the southwest.
The Joe Overstreet Road access to the lake is an internationally known area for birdwatching, with Sandhill Crane, introduced Whooping Crane, Bald Eagle, Black Vulture, and shorebirds prominent.
The name Okeechobee was given to it by the Seminole groups, and means "big water".
Hurricanes change everything
In 1926, the Great Miami Hurricane hit the area around Lake Okeechobee killing about 300 people. Two years later in 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane crossed the lake killing thousands. There is much controversy over the death toll for the second hurricane; the Red Cross reports 1,836 deaths which the National Weather Service accepted but in 2003 it was revised to "at least 2,500" *. In both cases the catastrophe was caused by flooding from a storm surge when strong winds drove water over the 6-foot mud dike that circled the lake at the time. After the two hurricanes, the Florida State Legislature formed the "Okeechobee Flood Control District". The organization was authorized to cooperate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in actions to prevent these disasters from happening again. U.S. President Herbert Hoover visited the area personally and afterward, the Corps designed a new plan incorporating construction of channels, gates, and levees. The Okeechobee Waterway was officially opened on March 23 1937 when a series of boats left Fort Myers, Florida on March 22 and on the next day arrived at Stuart, Florida. The 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane sent an even larger storm surge nearly over the new dike, causing it to be expanded again in the 1960s.
Three recent hurricanes, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Jeanne and Hurricane Wilma, had no major adverse effects on communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee.
National Scenic Trail
The 20 ft. wide dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee was declared a National Scenic Trail, specifically the Florida Trail, when it was built. There is a well-maintained paved pathway along the entire perimeter used by hikers and bicyclists and wide enough to accommodate authorized vehicles.
References
External links
"Lake Okeechobee"