Our Lake of the Month is Lake Clay in Lake Placid (set your GPS to 27.3108
-81.3489). The elevation of Lake Clay is 78’.
View Lake Clay Topo Map
http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/RevisedMaps05/HighlandsMaps/ClayHighlandsMap.pdf
Lake Clay is located within the city limits of Lake Placid (see history of Lake Placid at: http://www.smalltowngems.com/browsetowns/florida/lakeplacid/lakeplacidfltownhistory.html) in southern Highlands County. Lake Placid is a relatively small quiet town with a population of less than 2,000 (locals consider the population of Greater Lake Placid to be closer to 10,000).
Lake Clay is 367 acres in size. The maximum depth of Lake Clay is roughly 29 feet although there may be a few deeper locations. The average depth is 6.3 feet. The bottom is sandy and there is little vegetation around the lake making it ideal for recreation. Fishing, boating, water skiing, jet skiing/tubing, and swimming are popular activities.
Let’s go fishing. If you like fishing, Lake Clay is reported to support good populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie. Highlands County’s Parks and Natural Resources Department maintains two boat ramps on Lake Clay; one located at 1300 Lake Clay Drive (north end) and 1650 Lake Clay Drive (east side). The north end boat ramp has a covered picnic table. There are no restroom facilities.
The water quality of Lake Clay is good and Highlands County Parks and Natural Resources along with the Southwest Florida Water Management District plan on keeping it that way with the Lake Clay Stormwater Retrofit. Stormwater runoff occurs when precipitation from rain flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, and streets prevent stormwater runoff from naturally soaking into the ground. Stormwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants and flow into a storm sewer system or directly to a lake, stream, river, wetland, or coastal water. Anything that enters a storm sewer system is discharged untreated into the water bodies we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water.
This project entails the design, permitting and construction of a stormwater treatment system within the most urbanized sub-basin of Lake Clay. Lake Clay has been identified as a lake that has relatively good water quality and habitat that is in need of protection. In addition to the recreational uses of the lake, Lake Clay is an economic resource to the local community.
The completed stormwater best management practices will reduce pollutant loads entering the lake through stormwater runoff and will be a proactive measure toward protecting the lake’s water quality and habitat. The stormwater retrofit will include the installation of underground drains along existing county and city road easements and also within the parking lots of private businesses. Design and permitting have been completed and construction began in late September.
Construction locations for Lake Clay Stormwater Retrofit.
Lake Clay from US 27