Lee County Natural Resources
Leeland Lake Sinkhole
HISTORIC LEELAND LAKE
• Located in the Lehigh Acres area of Lee County, Florida,
Leeland Lake
• Is a historic sinkhole dating back to at least 1943.
Formerly called Still Lake.
• Is the only know natural sinkhole in Lee County. The
lake was depth sounded in May of 1943 at 208 feet
• Documented by USGS by D. Boggess and Dr. T.
Missimer in 1975:
“A Reconnaissance of Hydrogeologic Conditions in
Lehigh Acres and Adjacent Areas of Lee County,
Florida”
• It was noted that the there was a small circular pond
that was a sinkhole, the only one known of in Lee
County. It was sounded to a depth of 208 feet.
Reasons to protect this regionally
unique geological feature:
• This parcel of property is valuable for scientific research locally and state wide.
• The Leeland Lake is directly connected to the drinking water supply utilized by
Lehigh Acres.
• This Sink was created as southern Florida rose from the ocean 2.5 million years
ago and is not a result of drought and extreme conditions that we hear about in
the Orlando area.
• This unique occurrence is not as common in South Florida, with that in mind it
may have not been afforded the protection previously that it deserves.
• Think about a parking lot or a golf course and the pesticides, fertilizers and
herbicides that are associated with them, then add a storm event. Would you
want to drink water that came from potable wells that surround Leeland Lake?
Lee County Natural Resources
Leeland Lake Sinkhole
•This is a distinctive occurrence in South Florida.
•This is a unique feature in Lee County.
•It has not previously been afforded the protection
it deserves.
•It is an open window directly connecting surface
pollutants to the drinking water supply.