Lake Springfield is a reservoir built by impounding water upstream of Spaulding Dam on Sugar Creek. In general, the raw water quality of the lake is typical of many midwestern reservoirs.

Rain falling directly on Lake Springfield is one source of water supplying the lake; however, the predominant supply is runoff from the 265-square-mile watershed that lies primarily southwest of the lake. The watershed is the system of drainage ways, most notably Lick and Sugar Creeks and their tributaries, that collect runoff water and groundwater from as far west as Waverly and south as Virden. The land use in the watershed is approximately 88 percent agriculturally oriented with the row cropping of corn and soybeans predominating. Given the agricultural nature of the watershed, the lake is very much influenced by the soils, land uses, and human activity occurring within the watershed. These influences, seasonal changes, and the dynamic nature of the lake ecosystems all contribute to the quality of water in the lake.

For more information about Lake Springfield's raw water quality or other matters related to Lake Springfield, select any of the topics or subtopics listed in the left-hand column of this page.

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Last update: 08/04/10