| Lake Monona | |
|---|---|
 Lake with Monona Terrace and Madison skyline in the distance | |
  Lake Monona | |
| Location | Dane County, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 43°4′9″N 89°21′34″W / 43.06917°N 89.35944°W |
| Primary inflows | Yahara River, Starkweather Creek, Murphy Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 3,274 acres (13 km2) |
| Average depth | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Max. depth | 74 ft (23 m) |
| Residence time | 1.1 years |
| Surface elevation | 845 ft (258 m) |
| Frozen | About 107 days a year |
| Settlements | Madison, Monona |
Lake Monona is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and on the south east side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin.[1] It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along the Yahara River (also including Mendota, Kegonsa, and Waubesa) in the area and forms the south shore of the isthmus that forms downtown Madison. The name 'Monona' is a word believed to mean 'beautiful', although the lake was originally named by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) 'Tchee-ho-bo-kee-xa-te-la' or 'Teepee Lake'.