| Lake Iamonia | |
|---|---|
  Lake Iamonia  Lake Iamonia | |
 map | |
| Location | Leon County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 30°37′59″N84°10′40″W / 30.633120°N 84.177674°W /30.633120; -84.177674 |
| Type | prairie lake;Oligotrophic toMesotrophic |
| Catchment area | 101 sq mi (260 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 7 mi (11 km) |
| Max. width | 2 mi (3 km) |
| Surface area | 5,757 acres (2,330 ha) |
| Surface elevation | 95 ft (29 m) |
Lake Iamonia⟨aɪ ˈmoʊ njə⟩ is a large,subtropicalprairie lake in northernLeon County, Florida, United States, created during thePleistocene epoch.
Lake Iamonia's base was established during theEarly Pleistocene through submergence of land during the variousglacial retreats (a warming period) and emergence from the sea during glacialstadial advancement (a cooling period). Though the ice sheet was further north, it affected Iamonia's appearance and significant changes began to take shape during theOkefenokee terrace and shoreline period and was complete by the end of theWicomico terrace and shoreline event thousands of years later.
See:Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces
Lake Iamonia area is known to have supported a variety ofmegafauna from as far back as 23.6Ma. Fossils of thebear-dogAmphicyon and the dog-likeTemnocyonines have been uncovered at nearby sites. TheGriscom Plantation Site, once located onLuna Plantation, and on the south shore of Iamonia has produced fossils of the ruminantLeptomeryx, the horse relativesMerychippus andParahippus leonensis, and the ancient camelOxydactylus.Osbornodon iamonensis (Osborn's dog), a forerunner of today'sdog, was named for the lake.[1]
The lake was home to theWoodland culture, more specifically theWeeden Island culture, of earlyNative Americans from roughly 200 BCE to 750 AD.[2][3] It was within theApalachee Province from 1000 AD to the 1520s and later the lake would become home to theSeminoles. Lake Iamonia is pronounced "I-monia" and is named after a Seminole town “Hiamonee,” which was located on the banks of theOchlockonee River.
The lake is located in theRed Hills Region and is approximately 5,757 acres (23 km2) in size and is 7 miles (11 km) long and up to 2 miles (3 km) wide. It has adrainage basin of roughly 101 square miles (260 km).[4]
County Road 12 runs along the northern part of the lake.Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy is situated on a bluff on the north side of the lake. The eastern side borders nearUS 319, the south side is bordered by the developments of Killearn Lakes Plantation and Luna Pines. The west side edges nearState Road 155 (N. Meridian Road). The highest elevation around the lake's basin is 220 feet (67 m).
Lake Iamonia is classified asoligotrophic tomesotrophic with a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) of 31200. The eastern end of Lake Iamonia is oligotrophic which makes it one of the cleanest lakes in Leon County. The lake is 95 feet (29 m) above sea level and the sink basin, located on the northern shore of Lake Iamonia, has a surface area of 19.52 acres (79,000 m2). Its average depth is 7 feet (2 m) and its maximum depth is 40 feet (12 m).[5] The lake is surrounded by 4000 acres (16 km2) of land under conservation easement.
The volume of water in the lake is affected by water in its own drainage basin and by water from theOchlockonee River and rainfall inSouthwestern Georgia.The flooding of this river re-filled the entire body of the dried lake within 3 days in February 2008.Thunderstorms which hit the Florida panhandle and southwest Georgia on April 2 and 3 brought the level of the Ochlockonee River to 26.1 feet (8 m), 4 feet (1 m) above flood stage raising the lake level substantially.
In 1910, adam was constructed across the western endsloughs with two smallbridges separated by 1,850 feet (564 m) offill dirt. The dam separated Lake Iamonia from theOchlockonee River to keep out the river's water so that the lake would dry foragricultural purposes.
In 1940 a 1,150 feet (351 m) long, 150 feet (46 m) wide earthendike was constructed around the sink basin to keep water in the lake. Aconcretespillway was constructed for overflow with metal pipes of diameter 60 inches (152 cm) andsluice gates built into the earthen dikes at the sink. Just before 1950 additional earthen dams were built across Cromartie Arm (to the south) and Strickland Arm (to the north) and borderingHorseshoe Plantation. The purpose of these dams was to keep water in Cromartie and Strickland Arms for the plantations.
By the 1970saquatic plants had increased in the lake. In 1978 theFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission constructed draw down structures in thesink basin on the north end and under the bridge onN. Meridian Road but were removed by 1980 due to damage frombald cypress roots. Northwest Florida Water Management District welded the sluice gates open and the sink drains continuously.
The sink area covers 19.5 acres (79,000 m2) and has a maximum depth of 400 feet (122 m). It has a drain rate at 9.2 cubic feet per second.[6]
In theantebellum 19th century, Lake Iamonia hadBurgesstown Plantation,Pine Hill Plantation,Oaklawn Plantation andG.W. Holland Plantation surrounding it. Duringdry periods which naturally occurred in cycles, a fewcotton plantation owners would take advantage of the exposed land and wealth ofgrasses and vegetation which took hold in the nutrient rich lake bottom and graze theircattle andsheep on the lake.[7]
Species include thebeaver,bobcat,cotton rat,common rat,marsh rice rat,oldfield mouse,eastern wood rat,coyote,gray fox,red fox,gray squirrel,fox squirrel,marsh rabbit,nine-banded armadillo,opossum,raccoon,river otter andwhite-tailed deer.
Iamonia is an attraction forsport fishing withlargemouth bass,bluegill,black crappie,flier,redear sunfish,Florida gar,bowfin andAmerican pickerel.[8][9]
Reptiles include theAmerican alligator,snapping turtle,Florida softshell turtle,peninsular cooter,pond slider,musk turtle,eastern mud turtle,chicken turtle,Suwannee cooter,box turtle,Florida green water snake,banded water snake,cottonmouth,black racer,corn snake,southern ribbon snake,garter snake,eastern kingsnake,black swamp snake,mud snake,red-bellied snake,ringneck snake,grey rat snake,rough green snake,scarlet snake,coachwhip snake andeastern indigo snake.
Among amphibians, thePig frog,bullfrog,leopard frog,green tree frog,squirrel tree frog,Florida cricket frog,two-toed amphiuma andcentral newt are present.[10]
The photos show Lake Iamonia at a normal level of water.
