Lake Manatee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Manatee |
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 Lake Manatee
Location in Florida
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| Location | Manatee County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°29′01″N 82°19′44″W / 27.4836°N 82.3288°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Manatee River |
| Primary outflows | Manatee River |
| Catchment area | 120 sq mi (310 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Built | October 23, 1965 |
| Surface area | 1,174 acres (4.75 km2) |
| Max. depth | 11.2 ft (3.4 m) |
| Water volume | 5,911 million US gallons (22,380,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 39.1 ft (11.9 m) (2009) |
Lake Manatee is a special lake in Manatee County, Florida. It's not a natural lake, but an artificial reservoir. This means it was created by people to store water.
You can find State Road 64 crossing the eastern part of the lake. Also, the fun Lake Manatee State Park is located at the southwestern end. The Manatee River flows into the lake on the east side. Then, it continues flowing out of the lake to the west, eventually reaching Tampa Bay.
Lake Manatee is super important! It's a main source of drinking water for cities like Bradenton and other towns in Manatee County. It provides a huge amount of water every day – about 32 million gallons!
Building Lake Manatee
People started talking about building a reservoir in Manatee County way back in the 1950s. In 1951, local leaders decided they wanted to build a dam. They chose a deep valley east of the Rye Road bridge for the project.
Construction on the Lake Manatee reservoir officially began on October 23, 1965. The dam they built was quite big! It was about 50 feet (15 meters) high and stretched 4,510 feet (1,375 meters) across. It also had a 100-foot (30-meter) concrete spillway to control water flow. The dam was finished on January 9, 1967, creating the lake we know today.
Fun at Lake Manatee State Park
The Lake Manatee State Park is a great place to visit. It's located right on the south shore of the lake. Here, you can enjoy many outdoor activities. You can go fishing, boating, or even have a picnic with your family and friends. It's a perfect spot to enjoy nature and the beautiful lake.
