Wangumbaug Lake

Wangumbaug Lake, also known as Coventry Lake, is a natural lake located in Coventry, Connecticut. It covers 378 acres (1.53 km²) and is about 35 feet (11 m) deep and 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long with a circumference of 5 miles (8.0 km).^[1] Its watershed is 1,992 acres (8.06 km²), around 40% of which is residential and the rest farms and forest. The lake holds 2.7 billion gallons (10,220,000 m³) of water. It is fed by springs and has one natural outlet, Coventry Lake Brook, which flows southeast into the Willimantic River. Melt from a retreating glacier formed the lake 13,000 years ago.^[2]

Wangumbaug Lake
Coventry Lake
Wangumbaug Lake
Location	Connecticut, US
Coordinates	41.773°N 72.327°W / 41.773; -72.327
Type	Glacial lake
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	1.8 mi (2.9 km)
Surface area	0.59 sq mi (1.5 km2)
Average depth	35 ft (11 m)
Shore length1	5 mi (8.0 km)
Settlements	Coventry, Connecticut
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Wangumbaug means "Crooked Pond" in Algonquian. It was likely named by the Nipmuc, who settled the area before European contact.^[2][3]

The lake has been a popular summer vacation destination for boaters and bathers. Artists flocked to the summer cottages along the shores. In the early twentieth century, a trolley line connected the towns of Coventry and Willimantic, and Wangumbaug Lake became known as "Willimantic's summer resort." A pavilion known as the Lakeside Casino was a popular dance hall.^[3][4] Wangumbaug Lake is currently the home of the UConn Huskies rowing team, which shares its boathouse with the Edwin O. Smith High School crew team from nearby Mansfield.

A two-acre lake island, Underwood Island, is located 100 yards from Wangumbaug's shoreline.^[2] The village and census-designated place of Coventry Lake includes the lake and surrounding residential areas. The regional climate is hemiboreal.^[5]

Wangumbaug Lake Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     112     −2 −9     132     1 −5     93     8 −2     109     18 5     114     22 8     163     22 13     114     23 17     120     25 17     101     21 13     89     15 8     115     8 2     169     2 −3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: [6] Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     4.4     28 16     5.2     34 23     3.7     46 28     4.3     64 41     4.5     72 46     6.4     72 55     4.5     73 63     4.7     77 63     4     70 55     3.5     59 46     4.5     46 36     6.7     36 27 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

References

1. Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States. Washington, D.C.: Board on Geographic Names, United States Department of the Interior. 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-04-11 – via Google Books.
2. "Lake History & Facts | Coventry, CT - Official Website". www.coventryct.org. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
3. Jobbagy, Bill (2018). A History of Lakeside Park, South Coventry, Connecticut. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
4. Stave, Bruce (1991). Mills and Meadows: A Pictorial History of Northeast Connecticut. Virginia Beach: Donning Co. Publishers. pp. 141–42.
5. Peel, M C; Finlayson, B L (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11 (5): 1633–1644. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
6. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved 30 January 2016.

External links

• Lake Wangumbaug: A Coventry Crown Jewel