Lake Jackson (Tallahassee, Florida)

Lake Jackson
Lake Jackson, September 2005, with storm approaching. Note flying ducks.
Map
Location	Leon County, Florida
Coordinates	30°31′46″N 84°19′21″W / 30.5294°N 84.3225°W / 30.5294; -84.3225Coordinates: 30°31′46″N 84°19′21″W / 30.5294°N 84.3225°W / 30.5294; -84.3225
Type	prairie lake
Primary outflows	sinkholes
Catchment area	42.1 square miles (109 km²)
Basin countries	United States

Max. length	8 miles (13 km)
Surface area	6.2 square miles (16 km²)
Surface elevation	max. 96.2 feet (29.3 m)

Lake Jackson

Lake site in state of Florida

Lake Jackson is a shallow, prairie lake on the north side of Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida, United States, with two major depressions or sinkholes known as Porter Sink and Lime Sink.

The lake is located in the Red Hills Region, and has fluctuated from periods of being dry to a maximum elevation of 96 feet (29 m) above sea level. The lake is approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) long and its area is 6.2 square miles (16 km²). There is no outflow from streams or runoff.

Geography

Interstate 10 runs across the southern tip of the lake, and US 27 runs along a causeway on the western side, separating Little Lake Jackson from the main lake.

There are several boat ramps providing access to the lake. On the west side, these are at Crowder Road and Faulk Drive, at a small park on US 27, and on Sunset Drive. Ramps on the east side of the lake are at Millers Landing Road and Rhoden Cove Landing.

The Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park is located adjacent to the lake.

Geology

Drainage

Water drains from the lake into the Floridan Aquifer through the sinkholes. These are usually partially or completely plugged with sediments, but collapse when groundwater levels drop, allowing lake water to funnel into the aquifer, which can completely drain the lake. The lake drained on September 16, 1999.^[1] On May 10, 2007, the lake flowed down the Porter Sink, but pools of water still remained.^[2]

Ecology

Fauna

Least tern at Lake Jackson, Florida, May 2004

Species found at Lake Jackson and the surrounding watershed are the snowy egret, little blue heron, wood stork, bald eagle, least tern, American alligator and round-tailed muskrat. Brown pelicans, rare inland, have also been found on occasion.

Flora

American lotus at Lake Jackson, Florida, August 2006

Submerged vegetation is abundant throughout the lake and include blue hyssop, coontail, green fanwort, variable-leaf milfoil, and bladderwort. Marsh plants include maidencane, pickerelweed, American lotus, and slender spikerush. Numerous wetland tree and woody plant species also inhabit the drier portions of the transitional marsh. These include sweetgum, a variety of oaks, wax myrtle, and elderberry.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Jackson (Tallahassee, Florida).

Significant waterways of Florida

Larger rivers	Alapaha Apalachicola Aucilla Blackwater Caloosahatchee Chattahoochee Chipola Choctawhatchee Econlockhatchee Escambia Hillsborough Indian River Kissimmee Myakka Ochlockonee Ocklawaha Pea Peace Perdido Santa Fe St. Johns St. Marys Suwannee Withlacoochee (North) Withlacoochee (South) Yellow

Lakes	Apopka Crescent Blue Cypress East Tohopekaliga George Harney Harris Iamonia Istokpoga Jackson Jesup Kissimmee Miccosukee Monroe Okeechobee Poinsett Rodman Rousseau Seminole Talquin Tohopekaliga Tsala Apopka Washington Weir

Smaller rivers	Alafia Alapahoochee Anclote Banana River Braden Carrabelle Chassahowitzka Crooked Crystal Dead East East Bay Eau Gallie Econfina Estero Homosassa Hontoon Dead Ichetucknee Imperial Little (Biscayne Bay) Little (Ochlockonee) Little Econlockhatchee Little Manatee Little Wekiva Loxahatchee Manatee Matanzas Miami Mosquito Lagoon New (Broward) New (Carabelle) New (Santa Fe) Oleta Orange Pithlachascotee Rainbow Ribault Shark Silver Sopchoppy St. Lucie St. Marks St. Sebastian Steinhatchee Tomoka Trout Waccasassa Wacissa Wakulla Weeki Wachee Wekiva

Creeks and streams	Billy Black Blackwater (Hillsborough) Blackwater (Lake) Crane Cross Econfina Fisheating Myakkahatchee Orange Pottsburg Shingle Snapper Turkey

Canals	Canaveral Barge Canal Cross Florida Barge Canal Haulover Canal Hillsboro Canal Miami Canal Mud Lake Canal St. Johns-Indian River Barge Canal Tamiami Canal Tampa Bypass Canal

See also	Coastal waters of Florida Everglades Intracoastal Waterway Indian River Lagoon List of Florida rivers List of major springs in Florida Okeechobee Waterway Outstanding Florida Waters

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, September 04, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.