18 Evergreen Lake Watershed Management Plan
Water Uses
The primary use of Evergreen Lake is as reservoir for the city of
Bloomington. The city has three pumps rated at 18 million gallons of water per
day total pumping capacity at the lake. Pumpage levels vary widely between
years, depending on the weather and the water quality in both Evergreen Lake
and Lake Bloomington. At full pumping capacity, the lake contains enough water
for approximately 280 days.
Boats with a 10 horsepower or less motor and park registration are
permitted on the lake. Gas motors are prohibited in certain parts of the lake
between October 15 and January 1 to accommodate migratory waterfowl.
Evergreen lake is inhabited by fish species including largemouth bass,
crappie, muskellunge (muskie), hybrid walleye (saugeye), catfish, bluegill, white
bass, yellow bass, common carp, and buffalo. While some species occur
naturally, the McLean County Department of Parks and Recreation and the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources also direct a long-term fishery
management plan for the lake. Since 1990, the lake has been stocked with
almost 80,000 largemouth bass, 10,000 muskie, and 400,000 hybrid walleye.
Evergreen Lake Shoreline Erosion Summary
In July of 1988 a shoreline erosion inventory was conducted on the 22.5
miles of shoreline of Lake Evergreen in McLean County. This inventory was
completed to update an earlier survey that had been conducted before the level
of the lake was raised to its current 720 foot elevation. This inventory was a
visual estimate of eroding bank conditions completely surrounding the lake. Two
categories of erosion were estimated. “Moderate” erosion consisted of Lateral
Recession Rates on an annual basis of up to 0.5 foot per year. “Severe” erosion
consisted of rates of 1.0 or more feet per year on an average annual basis.
“Lateral Recession Rates” are rates established to estimate the vertical recession
of an exposed bank on a yearly basis. Some banks will erode more than this
