Lake Okee-chobee, the largest freshwater lake in Florida, is the head waters of the Everglades. The second largest freshwater lake contained entirely within one state in the U.S., it is half the size of the state of Rhode Island and is exceptionally shallow for a lake its size with an average depth of nine feet.
For comparison, Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota covers 520 square miles; Okeechobee covers 730 square miles. Depths range from 1 foot to 13 feet. Much of the countryside surrounding the Lake is
ranch land.
In 1926 the
Great Miami Hurricane hit the Lake Okeechobee area, killing approxi- mately 300 people. In 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane crossed over the lake, killing at least 2500 people. 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.
The state of Florida and the U. S. Corps of Engineers have over the years created a comprehensive management plan for the Lake. Picture 2 shows one of many flow control gates. The Lake is now ringed by a 20-foot high dike (Picture 3). The plan continues to be adjusted to recognize the need to maintain fresh water levels in the Everglades. Picture 4 shows a canal, probably created by the building of the levee, which is on the outside of the lake levee and is used for recreational purposes.
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