Lake Mendota

Lake Mendota
Boats headed toward south shore in Madison
Lake Mendota
Location	Dane County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Coordinates	43°06′24″N 89°25′29″W / 43.10667°N 89.42472°W / 43.10667; -89.42472
Type	Natural freshwater lake
Primary inflows	Yahara River
Primary outflows	Yahara River
Catchment area	562 km2 (217 sq mi)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	5.62 mi (9.04 km)
Max. width	4.11 mi (6.61 km)
Surface area	9,740 acres (3,940 ha) (39.4 sq. km)
Average depth	12.8 m (42 ft)[1]
Max. depth	25.3 m (83 ft)[1]
Water volume	500 million cubic metres (18×10^9 cu ft)
Residence time	4.5 years
Shore length1	21.6 mi (34.8 km)
Surface elevation	259 m (850 ft)
Frozen	December 20 (average freezing date)
Settlements	Madison, Middleton, Shorewood Hills, Maple Bluff, Westport
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin.^[2] The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest.^[3] Lake Mendota acquired its present name in 1849 following a proposal by a surveyor named Frank Hudson, who claimed to be familiar with local Native American languages; Lyman C. Draper, the first corresponding secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society, proposed that 'Mendota' could have been a Chippewa word meaning 'large' or 'great.'^[4]