Overview
Lake Hatchineha is an approximately 6,700-acre Kissimmee Chain lake in Osceola and Polk counties, lying between Cypress Lake and Lake Kissimmee. It is part of the Central and Southern Florida Project's Headwaters Revitalization Lakes, with stages regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District and the South Florida Water Management District.
Hatchineha is a shallow marsh lake averaging only a few feet deep and reaching about 8 feet at most. Cypress strands, Kissimmee grass, and broad littoral flats dominate the basin, and at high water it equalizes with Cypress and Kissimmee through connecting canals C-36 and C-37.
Anglers pursue largemouth bass, crappie, and panfish here as part of the Kissimmee Chain fishery managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Public landings and canal routes provide access, and the lake's marshes are important for waterfowl and wading birds.
Hatchineha shares the lower-chain regulation schedule with Cypress and Kissimmee, typically operated between about 49 and 52.5 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29). Levels move with basin rainfall, upstream releases from Lake Tohopekaliga, and Kissimmee River restoration operations at S-65, so monitoring current stages is critical in this shallow water.
Lake Hatchineha Right Now
Lake Hatchineha is currently 2.35 feet below full pool and has risen 0.56 feet over the past week. Watershed conditions are abnormally dry. Today's forecast calls for mostly sunny with a high around 85°F.
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Lake Hatchineha is a 6,665-acre reservoir on the Cypress Lake (C-36) and local Kissimmee Basin inflows managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.