Lake Glenn Shoals
Encyclopedia
Lake Glenn Shoals is a 1,250-acre (5.0 km²) reservoir
located in Montgomery County, Illinois. Created in 1976 by damming the Middle Fork of Illinois's Shoal Creek
, it was built for recreation
, sport fishing
, and water
supply purposes. The lake is 4 miles (6.5 km) long and 0.4 miles (0.6 km) wide. The nearest town is Hillsboro, Illinois
, south of Springfield, Illinois
and northeast of Saint Louis, Missouri.
Lake Glenn Shoals is managed for bass
, bluegill
, catfish
, crappie
, and tiger muskie
. The lake is managed in two halves, north and south of the Irving Township bridge, with boats able to go as fast as 35 mph (55 km/h) south of the bridge but only 5 mph (8 km/h) north of the structure. The nearest interstate highway exit is Exit 52 on Interstate 55
, near Litchfield.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
classified Lake Glenn Shoals in April 2006 as an "impaired" lake, due largely to the large quantities of phosphorus
, suspended silt
, and algae
in the lake. These findings could be connected to the significant use of the lake's drainage catchment
area by commercial farmers.
The municipality of Hillsboro operates the lake and keeps it stocked with fish
. A city permit is required for boaters seeking to use the lake.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
located in Montgomery County, Illinois. Created in 1976 by damming the Middle Fork of Illinois's Shoal Creek
Shoal Creek (Illinois)
Shoal Creek is a watercourse in the U.S. state of Illinois. It rises near Harvel, Illinois and, flowing southward through Lake Lou Yaeger, discharges into the Kaskaskia River near Okawville. It drains parts of Montgomery County, Bond County, and Clinton County. Shoal Creek is named for the many...
, it was built for recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
, sport fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
supply purposes. The lake is 4 miles (6.5 km) long and 0.4 miles (0.6 km) wide. The nearest town is Hillsboro, Illinois
Hillsboro, Illinois
Hillsboro is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,359 at the 2000 census, and 6,106 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Montgomery County.-History:...
, south of Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
and northeast of Saint Louis, Missouri.
Lake Glenn Shoals is managed for bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, and tiger muskie
Muskie
Muskie may refer to:*Ed Muskie, American politician*Muskellunge, freshwater fish native to North America...
. The lake is managed in two halves, north and south of the Irving Township bridge, with boats able to go as fast as 35 mph (55 km/h) south of the bridge but only 5 mph (8 km/h) north of the structure. The nearest interstate highway exit is Exit 52 on Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
, near Litchfield.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency of the state of Illinois is the primary body concerned with the protection of the environment for the state...
classified Lake Glenn Shoals in April 2006 as an "impaired" lake, due largely to the large quantities of phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
, suspended silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
, and algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
in the lake. These findings could be connected to the significant use of the lake's drainage catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
area by commercial farmers.
The municipality of Hillsboro operates the lake and keeps it stocked with fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. A city permit is required for boaters seeking to use the lake.