Lake Ella is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in central

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

US 27 U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 1 in Florida, US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in India ...

just south of Tharpe Street, and just north of Downtown. Lake Ella has an area of 12 acres (49,000 m²). Once used for cattle, it now has three fountains and is used for recreation, flood protection, and stormwater pollution control.

History

Lake Ella was originally called Bull Pond (sometimes spelled Buhl). Records for this name date back as far as 1867 when some local black churches held baptisms in its clear waters. In 1867 some 2000 "freedmen" gathered there for a day-long political rally. In the early 20th century Lake Ella became part of the "Old Spanish Trail", a coast-to-coast highway extending from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fl. This was one of a network of named roads, so named to promote tourism. On the west bank of the lake are several cottages that were once part of the Tallahassee Motor Hotel, a hotel opened by Gilbert S. Chandler in 1925 to cater to this tourist trade. Around the same time the lake was renamed Lake Ella. The cottages were once used as lakefront honeymoon rooms but are now occupied by local businesses. On the north shore of the lake is American Legion Post 13.

Recreation

Lake Ella is incorporated into the 6.5 acre (26,000 m²) Fred Drake Park. The park has picnic shelters, a site for community activities such as amateur astronomy and exercising, and a paved walking trail that completely encircles the lake. Visitors can walk, skate, or skateboard the 0.6 mi around the lake. Visitors also enjoy feeding the many ducks, geese, pigeons, and turtles that live at the lake. On Jan 24, 2009, Lake Ella hosted a group of

Tibetan monks Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

on their visit to Tallahassee. They spent a week creating a

sand mandala Sand mandala (; ) is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. Once complete, the sand mandala's ritualistic dismantling is accompanied by ceremonies and viewing to symbolize Budd ...

The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science The Mary Brogan Museum of Arts and Science, also known as the Brogan Museum and MOAS was an art and science museum located at 350 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, Florida. History Located in downtown Tallahassee on Kleman Plaza, the museum was ...

. The monks then destroyed the mandala in a "special dissolution ritual" and brought the sand to Lake Ella "so that its healing energies would be dispersed throughout the world." On December 13, 2010, the monks arrived in Tallahassee for another visit, and dismantled the new mandala on December 19.Ewen, Mike. "Om, Sweet Om." Dec 11, 2010, Tallahassee Democrat. Lake Ella is host to many local events, including regular food truck events, concerts, holiday celebrations, and seasonal markets.

Stormwater control

In 1986, Lake Ella underwent extensive rehabilitation including sediment removal, reshaping of the shoreline, reducing the number of

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

inflow pipes, and installation of an automatic alum treatment system. Lake Ella receives stormwater runoff from an

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

watershed that is approximately 157 acres (635,000 m²) in area. During a typical year the lake treats somewhere around 250 million gallons (946,352 cu. m) of stormwater runoff. During normal water elevations the lake stores approximately 27 million gallons (102,206 cu. m) of water. During excessive rain events the lake can store an additional 9 million gallons (34,068 cu. m). Pollutant treatment is obtained through an automated system that doses

alum An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , where is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium or a ...

at six locations based on the volume of stormwater entering the lake. Alum, which is a substance used by some communities to treat drinking water, mixes with incoming stormwater and causes pollutants to settle to the lake bottom. Lake Ella sometimes floods after severe storms, which can cause the surrounding roads to be closed for a few days.

References

External links

Lake Ella @ Talgov.comRichard Devine Photos at Lake Ella
*
History of Lake EllaCity of Tallahassee Public Works page on Lake Ella
{{authority control Ella Geography of Tallahassee, Florida Ella