Rend Lake facts for kids
Rend Lake is a large reservoir (an artificial lake) located in Southern Illinois, USA. It stretches across parts of Franklin and Jefferson counties, near the town of Benton. This important lake is about 13 miles (21 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide.
Rend Lake covers 18,900 acres (about 76 square kilometers) of water. It stores a huge amount of water, about 185,000 acre-feet. This lake is super important because it provides over 15 million gallons of water every day to more than 300,000 people in over 60 towns! It can be as deep as 35 feet (11 meters), but on average, it's about 10 feet (3 meters) deep. It sits 405 feet (123 meters) above sea level.
Quick facts for kids Rend Lake |
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 Rend Lake
Location in Illinois
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| Location | Franklin / Jefferson counties, Illinois, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°2′12.18″N 88°58′0.25″W / 38.0367167°N 88.9667361°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Big Muddy River Casey Creek |
| Primary outflows | Big Muddy River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 13 miles (20.9 km) |
| Max. width | 3 miles (4.8 km) |
| Surface area | 18,900 acres (76.5 km2) |
| Average depth | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
| Max. depth | 35 feet (10.7 m) |
| Shore length1 | 162 miles (260.7 km) |
| Surface elevation | 405 feet (123.4 m) |
| Settlements | Benton, Illinois Sesser, Illinois |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Contents
How Rend Lake Was Made
Rend Lake was created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. They built a large dam across the Big Muddy River. This project was approved in 1962. However, it took many years for the lake to completely fill with water. It was finally full in March 1973.
Fun Things to Do at Rend Lake
The shoreline of Rend Lake is very long, stretching for 162 miles (261 km). A big part of this area is protected as the Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area. This is a great place for outdoor activities.
You can also go swimming at Rend Lake! There are two main swimming beaches: North Marcum and South Sandusky. These beaches are looked after by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Next to the lake, there used to be an Illinois Artisans Shop & Visitors Center. This center was part of the Illinois State Museum system. It was run by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Unfortunately, this facility is currently closed.
In 2010, Rend Lake was recognized as an Important Bird Area of Illinois. This means it's a very special place for many different kinds of birds.
Fishing at Rend Lake
Rend Lake is one of the biggest lakes in Illinois. It is also known as one of the best places for fishing in the state. Many different types of fish live here.
Popular Fish Species
Here are some of the fish you can catch at Rend Lake:
| Species Name | Average Weight | Average Length |
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| Largemouth Bass | 3-5 Lbs. | 17–22 in |
| Crappie | 0.5-1.5 Lbs. | 6–12 in |
| Bluegill | 0.5-1.0 Lbs. | 6–10 in |
| Channel Catfish | 10-20 Lbs. | 25–35 in |
| Flathead Catfish | 15-30 Lbs. | 30–38 in |
| Blue catfish | 15-35 Lbs. | 30–40 in |
| Carp | 9-19 Lbs. | 20–35 in |
| White bass | 2-4 Lbs. | 15–20 in |
Images for kids
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View of Rend Lake. Photo taken from the Eastern side.
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View of spillway at Rend Lake, taken from the Eastern side.
