Lake Shetek
The Lake Shetek is the largest lake in the southwest of the U.S. state of Minnesota. He feeds the Des Moines River and situated north- west of Currie in the settlement of The Lakes in Murray County. The name is derived from the Ojibwe Shetek word for " pelican ".
Since there are few truly great lakes in southwestern Minnesota, the Lake Shetek is an important water recreation area for the region. At its eastern shore of Lake Shetek State Park borders.
Geography
The Lake Shetek covers an area of 1455 hectares and is up to 3 meters deep. This rather moderate depth is typical for the Prairie Pothole Region. The shoreline length is 51 kilometers.
The Lake Shetek is by far the largest of the 100 lakes in Murray County. The second largest is Lake Sarah with an area of about 476 hectares. Prior to that, the role of the Great Oasis Lake one with about 593 acres, but was released at the beginning of the 20th century in order to gain land for agriculture.
The lake feeds the western arm of the Des Moines River. In the lake there are three larger islands: Valhalla, Keeley and Loon Iceland. They are accessible by bridges from the shore. Shetek is also connected to the Bloody Lake and Armstrong Lake.
Geology
The origins of the lake is a result of glacier formation. It was created about 15,000 years ago, when the world's climate warmed, by itself anlagerndes sedimentary rock that blocked the drain.
Problems
Since the lake is very shallow and many people depend on it, it was a major concern to maintain the water level maintained even in the hot months since time immemorial. For example, a dam was built in the 1920s, and in the 1930s he was raised by 0.46 meters. 1966 and 1995, the dam was removed piecemeal.
Thanks to the people who matter in Lake Shetek on sludging. Thus, a level of 3.7 meters was measured in 1973 at its lowest point, today he is down to three meters. By nutrient input from the surrounding farms and meadows is also the risk excessive algae growth.
As the lake freezes completely, on average, every seven years, it comes to increased fish mortality. Some fish populations, such as carp recover better than most of them draw Pisces, however, these are important for sport fishing.