Lake Howard (Winter Haven, Florida)
| Lake Howard | |
|---|---|
| Location | Polk County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 28°00′45″N 81°26′38″W / 28.0126°N 81.4438°W |
| Type | natural freshwater lake |
| Primary outflows | Peace River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 1.25 miles (2.01 km) |
| Max. width | 1.03 miles (1.66 km) |
| Surface area | 624 acres (253 ha) |
| Average depth | 10.9 feet (3.3 m) |
| Max. depth | 18.7 feet (5.7 m) |
| Water volume | 2,270,506,840 US gallons (8.5948033×109 l) gallons |
| Surface elevation | 131 feet (40 m) |
| Settlements | Winter Haven, Florida |
Lake Howard is a fresh water lake, located in Winter Haven, Florida. The lake is part of the headwaters of the Peace River watershed. Lake Howard is a prominent lake in Winter Haven's Chain of Lakes. Lake Howard is on the southern chain of lakes. It is connected to Lake Cannon, to the north-west, and Lake May, to the south-east. Lake Howard has a surface area of 624 acres. It has a mean depth of 10.9 feet (3.3 m), and maximum depth of 18.7 feet (5.7 m).
The Calusa were the first known people to live along this lake. The Seminole were later known to live and hunt along the lake. Lake Howard was first surveyed by Dr. John Westcott in 1849. He named the lake for his neighbors in Madison County, Florida, the Howard family. The lake, with its current name, appears in the first United States government maps of the area, published in 1854.
Lake Howard became one of the first areas to be settled by newly arriving American and European settlers. Some of the oldest homes in the city of Winter Haven are located on the shores of Lake Howard. Beymer Memorial United Methodist Church, located on the north-east side of the lake, is one of the oldest buildings in Winter Haven. On the north side of Lake Howard is the residential neighborhood of Interlaken. This neighborhood is a designated U.S. Historic District, with over 50 homes on the National Register of Historic Places.
By the late 1960s, Lake Howard started to become polluted. The single biggest problem was that over-flow capacity lines for the Jan Phyll Village Waste Water Treatment Facility, which fed directly into Lake Howard. This meant that raw sewage was periodically sent directly into the lake. This problem was corrected in 1977, when the waste facility was re-designed. In 1980, an important restoration study was done on Lake Howard to improve the water quality. Over the preceding years, many other major scientific studies were conducted on Lake Howard, often building upon work done in previous studies. In 1995, Dr T.J. Whitmore conducted a major paleolimnological study on Lake Howard. By examining sediment core samples, he was able to evaluate historical changes in water levels and water quality in Lake Howard. Today, through conservation and restoration efforts, by the city, state, and federal government, the water quality of Lake Howard continues to improve. However, rapid urbanization around the lake threatens its future health.
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