LAKE INFO

Lake Mendota
Surface Area: 3,985 ha
Max Depth: 25.3 m
Mean Depth: 12.7 m

Lake Monona
Surface Area: 1,326 ha
Max Depth: 22.6 m
Mean Depth: 8.3 m
Lake Waubesa
Surface Area: 843 ha
Max Depth: 11.6 m
Mean Depth: 4.7 m
Lake Kegonsa
Surface Area: 1,299 ha
Max Depth: 9.8 m
Mean Depth: 5.1 m

Partnership

EFM

City of Madison

Dane County

WDNR

LTER

NSF

 

Esther Beach - Lake Monona

ADDRESS:
2802 Waunona Way, Madison
DIRECTIONS:
Near South Towne Mall, off Broadway
DESCRIPTION:
Esther Beach is located along the southeastern shore of Turville Bay in Lake Monona. During the 1870's, Charles Askew and his brother ran a passenger boat business and built a dance hall and picnic grounds at Esther Beach in 1901. The park was named after Charles' daughter who died in 1883. The dance hall, called Hollywood-at-the-Beach, continued through 1952.

Today Esther Beach is a small neighborhood beach prone to problems with weeds due to its orientation to Turville Bay. Prevailing winds tend to blow pieces of floating aquatic vegetation and other debris into this area.

The beach itself is about 70 feet long by 50 feet wide, with a 7.5% average slope. During 2005 through 2009, the beach was closed 12 times (29 days) for high levels of blue green algae, and 7 times (19 days) for high bacteria levels. It is currently listed on the EPA's 303(d) list of impaired beaches for high bacteria levels.

Note that all Lake Monona beaches were closed for a week in 2008 due to a raw sewage release from an MMSD pumping station.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING:
PHMDC
Esther Beach

Esther Beach
Image from Bing™   © Microsoft 2010

More information is available on the Public Health, Madison & Dane County website