Little Grassy Lake (Illinois)
| Little Grassy Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Jackson County, Illinois and Williamson County, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 37°38′12″N 89°08′44″W / 37.6368°N 89.1455°WCoordinates: 37°38′12″N 89°08′44″W / 37.6368°N 89.1455°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Little Grassy Creek |
| Primary outflows | Little Grassy Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 4 mi (6.5 km) |
| Max. width | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) |
| Surface area | 1,200-acre (4.8 km²) |
| Shore length1 | 36 miles (58 km) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Little Grassy Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.8 km²) reservoir in southern Illinois, created by the damming of Little Grassy Creek, a tributary of Crab Orchard Lake and the Big Muddy River. Most of the lake is located in Williamson County, southeast of Carbondale, Illinois. The lake is accessible from Giant City Road out of Carbondale, Illinois. Two arms of the lake penetrate into adjacent Jackson County. The lake is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.
Little Grassy Lake was built in 1940 as part of federal relief efforts surrounding recovery from the Great Depression. The surrounding hills, forested with oak and hickory trees, did not offer good farming potential, and the federal government condemned the farms to construct the lake.
In 1959, activity around the lake increased when the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) chose a land parcel near the Little Grassy dam as the site for its primary warm-water hatchery for the production of fish such as largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and redear sunfish for stocking. As of 2007[update], 15.0 million fingerlings are produced annually.
Little Grassy Lake is managed for warmwater fishing, with largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and crappie stocked and caught. There is a power limit on the lake, with motors restricted to 10 h.p. or less. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit is required for use of the lake. A campground and marina operates during fishing season.
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