Lake Saltonstall (''Lonotonoquet'' in
Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac is the English name for the Eansketambawg (meaning "original people"; ''cf.'' Ojibwe: '' Anishinaabeg'' and Blackfoot: ''NiitsÃtapi''), a Quiripi-speaking Native American nation of the Algonquian family who inhabited the ''Wamp ...
), is a long narrow lake located in south-central
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. It covers an area of approximately and is nestled in the center of the
trap rock
Trap rock, also known as either trapp or trap, is any dark-colored, fine-grained, non-granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock. Types of trap rock include basalt, peridotite, diabase, and gabbro.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. ...
Saltonstall Mountain
Saltonstall Mountain, also known as Saltonstall Ridge (''Lonotonoquet'' in Quinnipiac), with a high point of (est.) above sea level, is a traprock mountain ridge located east of New Haven, Connecticut and north of Long Island Sound. It is part ...
. The lake is surrounded by forest and serves as part of the local water supply for surrounding towns.
The lake and the area around it is owned by the
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, a company which also regulates fishing and rents boats. Private boats are not allowed.
Regional Water Authority (RWA) recreation permitmay be purchased, which provides access to hiking trails, fishing and boat rentals at Lake Saltonstall and other properties owned and maintained by the RWA.
There are a variety of fish native to Lake Saltonstall in addition to those that are stocked by the RWA. Fish in Lake Saltonstall include
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...
,
smallmouth bass,
black crappie,
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
,
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
,
yellow perch
The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Sam ...
and
carp.
Interstate 95 runs across the southern edge of the lake, connecting the towns of
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 27,923. Located east of New Haven, it is part of the Greater New Haven area. East Haven is from Hartford, from New Yor ...
and
Branford, Connecticut
Branford is a shoreline town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, about east of downtown New Haven. The population was 28,273 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a to ...
.
Lake Saltonstall's maximum depth does not exceed and its mean depth is .
References
External links
Lake Saltonstall WebsiteSCCRWA Lake Saltonstall map and brochure
Branford, Connecticut
East Haven, Connecticut
Lakes of New Haven County, Connecticut
Reservoirs in Connecticut
Metacomet Ridge, Connecticut
{{Connecticut-geo-stub