Countryside Lake

Countryside Lake
Location	Lake County, Illinois
Coordinates	42°14′48″N 88°01′48″W / 42.24667°N 88.03°W / 42.24667; -88.03Coordinates: 42°14′48″N 88°01′48″W / 42.24667°N 88.03°W / 42.24667; -88.03
Lake type	Reservoir
Built	1926
Max. depth	10 ft (3.0 m)
Surface elevation	781 ft (238 m)
References	[1]

Countryside Lake is a manmade lake located in Lake County Illinois. The lake is in the center of the Countryside neighborhood and is a private lake to members of the CLA (Countryside Lake Association) and their guests. Countryside Lake was created in 1926 by putting a dam at the end of a boggy stream. After the dam was created dredging equipment was brought to clear the surrounding area to expand the stream into a lake. Since Countryside Lake is manmade it is very shallow, at a maximum depth of 10 feet (3.0 m) the lake is mostly recreational.^[2] The lake is around 120 acres (49 ha) so it is on the smaller side for a lake. Since the lake is so small it only allows 15 horsepower for boats on the lake, this is to keep the shoreline from deteriorating. Countryside Lake has one beach that has a lifeguard for most days of the summer months.^[3] At the beach there is a playground, horseshoes, and numerous docks for boats.

History

Countryside Lake was created by Samuel Insull in 1926. Since there was only a boggy stream when he started to make the lake it was a difficult task. Starting by creating a dam at the southeast end of the stream Insull. Once the dam was built the stream was transformed into a lake using dredging equipment to create the intended outline of the lake. Once Insull finished the lake he built a hunting lodge on the lake that still sits on the lake today. The surrounding area of the lake is a neighborhood called Countryside. This neighborhood consists of Countryside Lake and Countryside Oaks.^[4]

Wildlife

Countryside Lake is home to many fish and has numerous birds that migrate through. Some of the fish that are in the lake are crappie, muskellunge, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, perch, bluegill, grass carp, sunfish, and catfish. Since the lake has all of these fish it is a common spot for fishing.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Countryside Lake". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1692247. Retrieved 2011-04-04. 
2. ^ "Countryside Lake Bathymetric Map." Integrated lakes management. Web. 18 Mar 2011. <http://www.lakecountyil.gov/Health/want/Documents/Countryside.pdf>.
3. ^ Dane, Leonard, Micheal Adam, Shaina Keseley, and Adrienne Orr. Lake County Health Department. 2007 Summary Report of Countryside Lake. Waukegan, IL: , 2007. Web. 22 Mar 2011. <http://oldapps.lakecountyil.gov/health/pdfs/ehs/lakereports/2007Countryside.pdf>.
4. ^ Donahoe, Brian. "About". Countryside Lake Association. http://www.countrysidelake.org/about. Retrieved 2011-03-20. 
5. ^ "CLA Newsletter." CLA News. Feb. 2011: 1. Print.