Newnans Lake (or Newnan's Lake) is a lake located off

State Road 20 Route 20, or Highway 20, may refer to: International * European route E20 Australia * Sturt Highway (NSW/VIC/SA) * Yarra Bank Highway Brazil * BR-020 Canada * Alberta Highway 20 * British Columbia Highway 20 * Manitoba Highway 20 *New Br ...

, east of Gainesville, Florida. Approximately wide, Newnans Lake is home to many forms of wildlife, and had been designated as a protected site by Alachua County. The lake was originally known as Lake Pithlachocco. It was renamed after

Daniel Newnan Daniel Newnan (1780 – January 16, 1851) was an American politician and military commander in North Carolina and Georgia. Early years and education Born in Salisbury, North Carolina in 1780, Newnan attended the University of North Carolina ...

, who led a detachment of Georgia militia that fought an inconclusive battle with

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

s near the lake in 1812. Newnans Lake is located east of Gainesville. It averages deep, and has a maximum depth of . It has an area of approximately . Surface flow into the lake is primarily from the north, via Hatchett Creek, Little Hatchett Creek, and other streams. The lake's drainage basin has an area of . The primary outlet is Prairie Creek on the south side of the lake. A spillway as installed in 1967 to control the water level of the lake. It is classified as

eutrophic Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytoplan ...

. Before the spillway was installed, the water level of the lake fluctuated seasonally. The margins of the lake are dominated by

Cypress swamp forest A cypress dome is a type of freshwater forested wetland, or a swamp, found in the southeastern part of the United States. They are dominated by the ''Taxodium spp''., either the bald cypress (''Taxodium distichum''), or pond cypress (''Taxodium as ...

s. Forty-four archaeological sites have been identified on the shores of the lake, or at nearby ponds and marshes. The lake has been designated a Fish Management Area by the

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers ar ...

and the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners. Prairie Creek, the principal outlet of Newnans Lake, originally drained into Paynes Prairie. The Camp family, which owned Paynes Prairie and operated a cattle ranch on it, wanted to drain the prairie to improve it as pasture. After very heavy rain flooded the Prairie in 1927, the Camps commenced projects to lower the water table on the Prairie that included diverting Prairie Creek to the River Styx, which flows into Orange Lake. In the Spring and Summer of 2000, a drought revealed canoe remnants. Fifty-five of the canoes were analyzed through radiocarbon assays, which showed 41 of them to date to between 2300 and 5000 B.C. The wood choice and manufacturing techniques were comparable to other Archaic Period canoes. The discovery led to the site's addition to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2001. The Newnans Lake State Forest is located to the west of the lake. The Newnans Lake Conservation Area owned by the

St. Johns River Water Management District The St. Johns River Water Management District ("SJRWMD") is one of five Florida water management districts that is responsible for managing groundwater and surface water resources in Florida. SJRWMD covers an 18-county region in northeast and east ...

is primarily along the north end of the lake.Newnans Lake Conservation Area (St. Johns River Water Management District)
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* Lakes of Alachua County, Florida Protected areas of Alachua County, Florida Tourist attractions in Gainesville, Florida Lakes of Florida Protected areas established in 2001 {{AlachuaCountyFL-geo-stub

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