Our Lake of the Month is Lake Tulane (set your GPS to 27.5853
-81.5034). The elevation of Lake Tulane is 116’.
Lake Tulane (sometimes referred to as Coca Cola Lake after the JS Francis Coca Cola
Bottling Plant) is located within the city limits of Avon Park in Highlands County. The
lake is surrounded by housing on all sides except the east. The east side is bordered by a
railroad track.
Although Lake Tulane is only 89 acres in size, as a sinkhole lake it is very deep. Sinkhole
lakes are formed when a limestone layer is dissolved by groundwater and collapses.
Maximum depths are listed at 70 feet. Some people have reported depths closer to 90’.
Despite reports from local residents of a spring, Lake Tulane is not spring fed. Water
enters the lake through rainfall, underground seepage (through soil), and storm water
runoff.
Lake Tulane is a ridge lake with a sandy bottom, low nutrients, and very clear water.
Visibility down to 30’ is not uncommon. Lake Tulane is ideal for swimming, fishing,
boating, skiing, and diving (yes diving right here in Highlands County). Diving is
typically from the south end off the swimming beach. Apparently there are two sunken
boats to dive to. Divers report golf balls everywhere.
Lake Tulane has the distinction of being classified as the oldest lake in North America
with a known age. Lake Tulane has continuously contained water for at least 60,000
years based on sediment samples taken from the bottom. As such, the lake has become an
important research site far south of the limits of Quaternary glaciations. Its 60 000+ yearold sediment profile reveals that the region has undergone repeated major climate
fluctuations between cool-dry and warm-wet conditions during last half of the most
recent ice age as well as during the Holocene interglacial. The wet/dry fluctuations at the
site have a striking temporal correspondence to phenomena in the North Atlantic known
as Heinrich events, which involved massive fluxes of icebergs from Hudson Bay and
elsewhere into the seas south of Greenland. Those times of cold in the North
Atlantic correspond precisely to times of warm, moist climate in central Florida, when
precipitation was dominated by summertime convective storms, as is the case today.
Apparently, vegetation shifted from pine dominated in wetter times to oak dominated in
drier times.
Let’s go fishing. If you like fishing, Lake Tulane is reported to support good populations
of largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie. Highlands County’s Parks and Natural
Resources Department maintains one boat ramp on Lake Tulane; located at South Lake
Blvd. (west side). There are no facilities. There is a small park on the south end of the
lake with covered picnic tables, bbq grill, bathroom facilities, swimming area, and a
small playground (Housing Authority of Avon Park).
The water quality of Lake Tulane is good. Important measures of water quality are total
phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chlorophyll a. The measure of these three nutrients is
good. Another important measure is transparency. The average transparency of Lake
Tulane is 17 feet however readings can sometimes be as much as 30 feet.
Lake Tulane boat ramp, Florida. Clear water.
Lake Tulane (looking north), Florida.
Lake Tulane Bathymetry Map, Highlands County, Florida.