Lake Arlington is a human-made, detention lake in the Chicago suburb of

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...

. The lake's average depth is between ."Arlington Lake Park on Its Way,"
Christine Winter, The Chicago Tribune (Sept. 25, 1990).

History

In the early 1980s, the land now containing Lake Arlington was purchased from local farmers by the Village of Arlington Heights for a sum of $2 million. With the goal of creating a stormwater detention basin for McDonald Creek, construction of the lake began in 1985. This project, costing Arlington Heights and surrounding suburbs $9 million, resulted in the lake. In 1990, the Arlington Heights Park District revealed plans to develop the land surrounding the lake into a park. On September 22, 1990, the land was ceremonially given to the park district by the village. According to the Chicago Tribune, the initial development plan was estimated to "cost about $1.75 million" and was to "include a lighted parking lot for 64 cars, boat docks and storage, a fishing dock, a bicycle path, and most likely a playground and a small building with a concession stand and washrooms." The park officially opened on June 6, 1992, and all phases of the project were completed by 1995.History
– Arlington Heights Park District

Facilities

Today, the lake and its surrounding land is located in a 93-acre park known collectively as Lake Arlington. Facilities include an exercise area, two playgrounds, a fishing pier, a walking and bike path, picnic areas, washrooms, a concession stand, and a boat dock. Canoes, rowboats, kayaks, crew boats, and sailboats can be stored in the boathouse, and sailboats and paddle-boats are available for rent during the summer and fall.Lake Arlington
– Arlington Heights Park District While there is a small strip of sand along part of the lake, swimming and wading are not permitted.

Wildlife

Aside from the lake itself, Lake Arlington consists of wooded areas, tall-grass thickets, and of wetland. The diversity of biomes within the park allow visitors to observe several species of native animals. Resident birds include the

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

American herring gull The American herring gull or Smithsonian gull (''Larus smithsonianus'' or ''Larus argentatus smithsonianus'') is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithological Society as a subspecies of herring gull ...

, barn swallow,

Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

, red-winged blackbird,

sparrow Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hedg ...

American robin The American robin (''Turdus migratorius'') is a migratory bird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae, the wider thrush family. It is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closel ...

, and common loon. The raccoon, eastern gray squirrel, and eastern cottontail can be found within the park. Additionally,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

s, catfish,

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

, and gizzard shads swim in the lake's waters. Other semiaquatic animals include bullfrogs, turtles and muskrats.

References

{{reflist Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington