Ełk Lake

Ełk Lake (Ełckie, Polish: Jezioro Ełckie, German: Lycker See; Lithuanian: Luko ežeras) is a fresh water lake in the Masurian Lake District of Poland's Warmia-Mazury Province to the west of the town of Ełk. It has had recent pollution challenges.^[3] A larger lake in the lake district to the east of the town of Ełk is Selmęt Wielki.^[4]

Ełk Lake
Ełk Lake with the town of Ełk in the background
Ełk Lake
Location	Masurian Lake District
Coordinates	53°48′24″N 22°20′58″E
Primary inflows	River Ełk, Woszczelski Stream
Catchment area	979.8 ha (2,421 acres)
Basin countries	Poland
Max. length	6.5 km (4.0 mi)
Surface area	385 ha (950 acres) (maximum)
Average depth	15 m (49 ft)
Max. depth	55.8 m (183 ft)
Water volume	5.74203×106 m3 (2.02778×108 cu ft)
Shore length1	18.65 km (11.59 mi)
Surface elevation	120.3 m (395 ft) [a]
Settlements	Ełk
References	[1][2]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The lake that was created by glacial action during the Pleistocene ice age and has a maximum surface area of 385 ha (950 acres).^[1] Its mean depth is 15 m (49 ft) with 55.8 m (183 ft) as a maximum.^[1][2] It is divided into two distinct parts, the northern ("small", Polish: Małe Ełckie) and southern ("large", Polish: Duże Ełckie), by a narrows spanned by a bridge. Primarily fed by the Ełk River, a right-bank tributary of the Biebrza River from the south west,^[2] the lake discharges into Lake Sunowo to its north-west, and the smaller Lake Szarek associated with the village of the same name to its west.^[4]

Pollution

From the point of view of its recent eutrophication, there are three zones of the lake, northern, central (southern), and western.^[2] The two beaches in the central zone popular with the tourists visiting Ełk on the lakes east coast are suspected to now be among the primary sources of microplastics lake pollution.^[3] However the eastern side of the lake is polluted by sewage and city drainage and the western side by agricultural drainage.^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Promenade
• 
  Panorama of the bridge on the lake
• 
  View of the lake and the city from the west
• 
  View the east bank
• 
  Lake circa 1900

Notes

1. Historic references for elevation give 199.9 m (656 ft) but lake does apparently vary in height