Wangumbaug Lake

Wangumbaug Lake
Coventry Lake
Wangumbaug Lake is located in the United States
Wangumbaug Lake
Wangumbaug Lake
LocationConnecticut, US
Coordinates41°46′23″N 72°19′37″W / 41.773°N 72.327°W / 41.773; -72.327
TypeGlacial lake
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length1.8 mi (2.9 km)
Surface area0.59 sq mi (1.5 km2)
Average depth35 ft (11 m)
Shore length15 mi (8.0 km)
SettlementsCoventry, Connecticut
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

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 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
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
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
  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. ^ a b c "Lake History & Facts | Coventry, CT - Official Website". www.coventryct.org. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  3. ^ a b 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.