Kirk Lake is a

controlled lake A controlled lake is both a general and specific term to describe a body of water. In its general sense it describes a lake or reservoir which has its water level controlled by some form of dam. In the specific, it refers to three small lakes wit ...

in the hamlet of

Mahopac Mahopac ( or ) is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in the town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York, United States. Also known as Lake Mahopac, the exurb is located some north of New York City, on US Route 6 at the county's southern centr ...

in the town of Carmel in

Putnam County, New York Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,668. The county seat is Carmel. Putnam County formed in 1812 from Dutchess County and is named for Israel Putnam, a hero in t ...

. It lies due west and sharply below considerably larger

Lake Mahopac Mahopac ( or ) is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in the town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York, United States. Also known as Lake Mahopac, the exurb is located some north of New York City, on US Route 6 at the county's southern centr ...

. It is one of three controlled lakes in the

New York City water supply system A combination of aqueducts, reservoirs, and tunnels supplies fresh water to New York City. With three major water systems ( Croton, Catskill, and Delaware) stretching up to away from the city, its water supply system is one of the most exte ...

Croton Watershed The Croton Watershed is the New York City water supply system's name for its southernmost watershed and its infrastructure,{{efn, Including dams, spillways, tunnels, pumps, and related mechanical components not part of a hydrological drainage bas ...

. The outfall of Kirk Lake forms the northernmost headwaters of the Muscoot River, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Croton River The Croton River ( ) is a river in southern New York with three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the New York City water supply system, join downstream from the Croton Falls Rese ...

in the Croton River watershed. Approximately one-half mile south of its dam its waters are joined by a small flow from Lake Mahopac, which shortly cross into

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

and drain into the Amawalk Reservoir in the town of Somers.

History

Kirk Lake was originally much smaller than today. A dam was built in 1871, and substantially altered into a 220' wide, 28' high structure in 1881,Kirk Lake Dam, Putnam County, New York, Inventory NO. N.Y. 682, Lower Hudson River Basin, Phase I Inspection Report, National Dam Safety Program, New York District Corps of Engineers, September 1981
/ref> dramatically enlarging its impoundment area. It is unclear whether there would be any natural impoundment at all if it were removed. The dam is a stone masonry-earth buttress. The top of the dam is 592.3 feet above Mean Sea Level. Its crest is 61 feet wide, some 28 feet above the Muscoot River. Maximum reservoir capacity is 1822 acre-feet, or . Kirk Lake is owned by the

New York City Department of Environmental Protection The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's water supply and works to reduce air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. Under a 1.3 billion do ...

(which absorbed the New York City Bureau of Water Supply). Its drainage area is 2.95 square miles, and maximum discharge of its spillway and 36" overflow pipe 440 cubic feet of water per second. The normal length of Kirk Lake's pool is 0.8 miles, with a total surface area of 124 acres. Maximum pool size is 220 acres. Its normal capacity is 920 acre-feet, or .

References

Lakes of Putnam County, New York Tributaries of the Hudson River {{PutnamCountyNY-geo-stub

History

See also

References