Baldwin Lake (Illinois)
Encyclopedia
Baldwin Lake is a 2018 acres (816.7 ha) reservoir
which spans part of the border between Randolph County, Illinois
and St. Clair County, Illinois
.
The lake is part of the Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area
, near 38°13′03"N 089°52′09"W Elevation: 430 feet (131.1 m),
operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
, and it is adjacent to, but not part of, the Kaskaskia River
. Its elevation may fluctuate with powerplant operations, but averages 423 feet (128.9 m) above sea level.
s created by damming a river
or creek
, Baldwin Lake is different. It is a purpose-built cooling pond
created by building an 8 miles (12.9 km) levee
,
near 38°12′36"N 089°52′36"W Elevation: 423 feet (128.9 m),
around a patch of Kaskaskia River bottomland and dredging out sections of the area inside the levee. Its official definition is that it is a perched cooling lake. Most of the lake is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 8 feet (2.4 m), but the lake has "holes" that are 50 feet (15.2 m) or more in depth. From the air, Baldwin Lake lacks the convoluted shape of many reservoirs. The lake's water surface is the shape of a rectangle.
Baldwin Lake was built by the Illinois Power Company as a cooling pond for its coal-fired Baldwin Generating Station, so called because the nearest town is Baldwin, Illinois
. The Baldwin area sits atop a large seam of Illinois coal. The lake was begun in 1967, and completed and filled in 1970. Few if any tributaries naturally flow into Baldwin Lake, and the lake is filled by water pumped from the nearby Kaskaskia River, supplemented by natural precipitation onto the surface of the lake.
With the Baldwin Station, Baldwin Lake has changed hands several times since its construction as a result of corporate takeover activity. The lake and generating plant were acquired by the Dynegy
energy holding company in 1999. Soon afterwards, the station ceased to burn Illinois coal, instead burning low-sulfur coal from Wyoming
.
As of 2007, the Baldwin Station complex employs 169 workers and is capable of generating up to 1,750 megawatts of power. The large coal-fired boilers at Baldwin require as much as 10 million USgals (37,854.1 m³) of water per day to operate. Some of this water escapes as steam
, and the rest is returned, heated, to the lake.
. As with many power plant lakes, the lake is stocked with fish that are tolerant of the warm waters discharged from the power plant's boilers, such as largemouth bass
and crappie
.
Migratory bird species welcome the always-warm waters of Baldwin Lake, with peak populations of 20,000 duck
s and 10,000 Canada geese noted. Approximately 200 geese live in and around the lake year-round. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) considers the water quality of Baldwin Lake to be "fair," as is the water quality in the lower Kaskaskia River where most of the water in the lake came from.
The state of Illinois enforces a power limit on the lake, with allowable boat motors limited to no more than 50 hp.
Baldwin Lake is accessed from Illinois Route 154
, which passes through the nearby towns of Baldwin, Sparta
, and Red Bud
.
As of 2007, Dynegy has applied for permission to expand the Baldwin Lake complex by 1,500 megawatts. If expanded, the complex would generate 3,250 megawatts.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
which spans part of the border between Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County, Illinois
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....
and St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
.
The lake is part of the Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in St. Clair, Monroe, and Randolph Counties, Illinois, United States. A focus of this conservation area is Baldwin Lake, a perched cooling pond managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for fishing....
, near 38°13′03"N 089°52′09"W Elevation: 430 feet (131.1 m),
operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
, and it is adjacent to, but not part of, the Kaskaskia River
Kaskaskia River
The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in central and southern Illinois in the United States. The second largest river system within Illinois, it drains a rural area of farms, as well as rolling hills along river bottoms of hardwood forests in its lower...
. Its elevation may fluctuate with powerplant operations, but averages 423 feet (128.9 m) above sea level.
An engineering feat
While most artificial lakes in Illinois are reservoirReservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s created by damming a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
or creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
, Baldwin Lake is different. It is a purpose-built cooling pond
Cooling pond
A cooling pond is a man-made body of water primarily formed for the purpose of supplying cooling water to a nearby power plant or industrial facility such as a petroleum refinery, pulp and paper mill, chemical plant, steel mill or smelter...
created by building an 8 miles (12.9 km) levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
,
near 38°12′36"N 089°52′36"W Elevation: 423 feet (128.9 m),
around a patch of Kaskaskia River bottomland and dredging out sections of the area inside the levee. Its official definition is that it is a perched cooling lake. Most of the lake is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 8 feet (2.4 m), but the lake has "holes" that are 50 feet (15.2 m) or more in depth. From the air, Baldwin Lake lacks the convoluted shape of many reservoirs. The lake's water surface is the shape of a rectangle.
Baldwin Lake was built by the Illinois Power Company as a cooling pond for its coal-fired Baldwin Generating Station, so called because the nearest town is Baldwin, Illinois
Baldwin, Illinois
Baldwin is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 434 at the 2000 census. Baldwin Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is nearby.-Geography:Baldwin is located at ....
. The Baldwin area sits atop a large seam of Illinois coal. The lake was begun in 1967, and completed and filled in 1970. Few if any tributaries naturally flow into Baldwin Lake, and the lake is filled by water pumped from the nearby Kaskaskia River, supplemented by natural precipitation onto the surface of the lake.
With the Baldwin Station, Baldwin Lake has changed hands several times since its construction as a result of corporate takeover activity. The lake and generating plant were acquired by the Dynegy
Dynegy
Dynegy Inc. , based in Houston, Texas, United States, is a large owner and operator of power plants and a player in the natural gas liquids and coal business...
energy holding company in 1999. Soon afterwards, the station ceased to burn Illinois coal, instead burning low-sulfur coal from Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
As of 2007, the Baldwin Station complex employs 169 workers and is capable of generating up to 1,750 megawatts of power. The large coal-fired boilers at Baldwin require as much as 10 million USgals (37,854.1 m³) of water per day to operate. Some of this water escapes as steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
, and the rest is returned, heated, to the lake.
The lake today
While Dynegy continues to own Baldwin Lake, they have transferred the operating rights over much of the lake (except that part closest to the power plant, which is closed to the public for security reasons) to the state of Illinois, which manages the lake for sport fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. As with many power plant lakes, the lake is stocked with fish that are tolerant of the warm waters discharged from the power plant's boilers, such as largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
and crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
.
Migratory bird species welcome the always-warm waters of Baldwin Lake, with peak populations of 20,000 duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and 10,000 Canada geese noted. Approximately 200 geese live in and around the lake year-round. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) considers the water quality of Baldwin Lake to be "fair," as is the water quality in the lower Kaskaskia River where most of the water in the lake came from.
The state of Illinois enforces a power limit on the lake, with allowable boat motors limited to no more than 50 hp.
Baldwin Lake is accessed from Illinois Route 154
Illinois Route 154
Illinois Route 154 is an east–west state road in southern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 3 in Red Bud to Illinois Route 37 in Whittington. This is a distance of .- Route description :...
, which passes through the nearby towns of Baldwin, Sparta
Sparta, Illinois
Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,486 at the 2000 census.The city was the principal filming location for the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night.-Geography:Sparta is located at ....
, and Red Bud
Red Bud, Illinois
Red Bud is a city in Randolph County, Illinois. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census.It is the home of the of Southwestern Illinois College.-Geography:Red Bud is located at ....
.
As of 2007, Dynegy has applied for permission to expand the Baldwin Lake complex by 1,500 megawatts. If expanded, the complex would generate 3,250 megawatts.