Anderson Lake (Illinois) Explained

Anderson Lake
Location:Fulton County, Illinois
Coords:40.1997°N -90.1847°W
Type:Freshwater
Inflow:Illinois River
Basin Countries:United States
Area:1364acres
Depth:3feet-5feetft (-ft)
Max-Depth:7feet
Shore:9.1miles
Elevation:436feet
Islands:none
Cities:Havana
Pushpin Map:Illinois#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Anderson Lake in Illinois, USA.

Anderson Lake is a freshwater lake located in Fulton County, Illinois. It is 12.5miles southwest of Havana, Illinois.

Natural features

This west floodplain lake receives overflow waters from the Illinois River.[1] [2] The lake has a surface area of 1134acres with an average depth of 4feet and a maximum depth of 6feet. 9.1miles shore is surrounded by bottomland forest of silver maple, cottonwood, and willow trees.

A levee constructed in 1980 separates Anderson Lake from Carlson Lake, a smaller 231acres lake to the south that serves as a waterfowl refuge area. Carlson Lake is drained in the spring to plant food for ducks, then flooded in the fall during migration season to attract waterfowl.

Fish species include: black bullhead, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, and largemouth bass. Non-native species such as Asian carp, silver carp, and bighead carp are being monitored for their environmental impact. Sedimentation, loss of water volume, and lack of aquatic plants create challenges for fish species management in Anderson Lake.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Anderson Lake SFWA . 2023-10-14 . dnr.illinois.gov . en.
  2. Web site: Lake Profile -- ANDERSON LAKE . 2023-10-14 . www.ifishillinois.org.