| Rend Lake | |
|---|---|
  Rend Lake | |
| 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)[1] |
| Average depth | 10 feet (3.0 m)[1] |
| Max. depth | 35 feet (10.7 m) |
| Shore length1 | 162 miles (260.7 km)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 405 feet (123.4 m) |
| Settlements | Benton, Illinois Sesser, Illinois |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Rend Lake is a 13-mile (20.9 km) long, 3-mile (4.8 km) wide reservoir located in Southern Illinois in Franklin and Jefferson Counties near the town of Benton. It contains 18,900 acres (76 km2) of water, stores 185,000 acre-feet (228,000,000 m3) of water, and supplies over 15 million gallons of water per day to 300,000 persons in over 60 communities. The reservoir is up to 35 feet (10.7 m) deep, but its average depth is closer to 9.7 feet (3.0 m). Its elevation is 405 feet (123.4 m) above sea level.
Rend Lake was created when the United States Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Big Muddy River. The dam and lake were authorized in 1962, but the lake was not completely filled until March 1973.[1] Archived 2006-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
The shoreline of Rend Lake extends 162 miles (261 km), part of which is preserved as Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area. Swimming beaches at North Marcum and South Sandusky are managed and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. An adjacent Illinois Artisans Shop & Visitors Center is part of the Illinois State Museum system and is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
In 2010, Rend Lake was designated as an Important Bird Area of Illinois.[2]
