Lake Waramaug is a lake occupying parts of the towns of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Litchfield County, Connecticut Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

, United States, approximately north of

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

. The lake is named after Chief Waramaug, who wintered in the area surrounding Lake Waramaug.

Description

Although natural in origin, the surface elevation of the lake has been raised by a small concrete and masonry dam. The surface area of the lake is approximately . The lake has a maximum depth of , an average depth of , and contains approximately of water. The lake is fed by Sucker Brook (Lake Waramaug Brook), numerous small streams, and groundwater that enters through the lake bottom. Drainage from Waramaug Lake flows southward into the

East Aspetuck River The East Aspetuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the United States. It flows in a southwesterly dir ...

. The bottom materials on steep side slopes of the lake consist primarily of gravel, cobbles, and boulders, whereas the flatter areas consist primarily of sand, mud, and organic muck. The watershed of the lake is 14.4 square miles (). Approximately 74 percent () of the watershed is forested. Wetlands and water bodies comprise approximately 10 percent () of the watershed, while the remaining 16 percent () of the area is low-density residential housing and commercial and agricultural land. The shoreline development of Lake Waramaug is moderate and includes houses, seasonal cottages, and boat houses, with few commercial establishments. Public access to the lake is available only within

Lake Waramaug State Park Lake Waramaug State Park is a public recreation area located on the northwest shore of Lake Waramaug in the town of Kent, Litchfield County, Connecticut. The state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-natio ...

, which is located at the northwestern end of the lake. Outside park boundaries, the shoreline is privately owned . The park can be reached by taking Route 45 north from Route 202 and turning west onto North Shore Road. An aquatic survey of Waramaug Lake was published in 1987. The survey found aquatic vegetation to be relatively sparse, with only localized growths of emergent and submergent species along the shorelines and shallows of the lake. Aquatic species observed include Robbins pondweed (''

Potamogeton robbinsii ''Potamogeton robbinsii'', commonly known as Robbins' pondweed, is a North American perennial herb. The specific epithet ''robbinsii'' is named in honor of James Watson Robbins, the pioneer student of the genus. It is found in deep to shallow, ...

''), coontail (''

Ceratophyllum demersum ''Ceratophyllum demersum'', commonly known as hornwort, rigid hornwort, coontail, or coon's tail, is a species of ''Ceratophyllum''. It is a submerged, free-floating aquatic plant, with a cosmopolitan distribution, native to all continents except ...

''), white-water lily (''

Nymphaea odorata ''Nymphaea odorata'', also known as the American white waterlily, fragrant water-lily, beaver root, fragrant white water lily, white water lily, sweet-scented white water lily, and sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant belonging to the g ...

''), narrow-leaved arrowhead (''

Sagittaria graminea ''Sagittaria graminea'', the grassy arrowhead or grass-leaved arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to eastern North America. Description It is a perennial herb up to tall with narrow, grass-like leaves about in length and wide. A ...

''), yellow-pond lily ('' Nuphar variegatum''),

spike rush ''Eleocharis'' is a virtually Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The name is derived from the Greek language, Greek words ἕλειος (''heleios''), meaning ...

(''Eleocharis sp.''), bushy pondweed (''

Najas flexilis ''Najas flexilis'' is an aquatic annual plant native to parts of North America and Europe. It is native to northern and central Europe from Norway to Ireland to Switzerland, and from there across Russia (including Siberia). It is also considered ...

''), leafy pondweed (''

Potamogeton foliosus ''Potamogeton foliosus'' is a species of aquatic plant known by the common name leafy pondweed. It is native to nearly all of North America and parts of Central America, where it grows in water bodies such as ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-movin ...

'') and pondweed (''

Potamogeton gramineus ''Potamogeton gramineus'' is a species of aquatic plant known by the common name various-leaved pondweed, variableleaf pondweed, grass-leaved pondweed or grassy pondweed, native to the northern hemisphere where it grows in shallow, clean water. ...

''). The fish species observed in Waramaug Lake include largemouth, smallmouth and

calico bass Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

;

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

; yellow and

white perch The white perch (''Morone americana'') is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass". The name "White perc ...

; pickerel,

alewives The alewife (''Alosa pseudoharengus'') is an anadromous species of herring found in North America. It is one of the "typical" North American shads, attributed to the subgenus ''Pomolobus'' of the genus ''Alosa''. As an adult it is a marine spe ...

, sunfish, and bullheads.

Town of Washington improvements

In 2004, the Town of Washington entered into an agreement with the

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. It ...

to reconstruct and expand the town's boat launch at Lake Waramaug, and to permit 20 launchings per day by non-residents in exchange for the DEP agreeing not to construct a new boat launch at

. The agreement limits motor boat traffic on the lake, and requires inspection of all boats for invasive aquatic plant species prior to launching. Plans for the new boat launch were developed in 2006, and the new facility was opened in 2008. In 2010, the Town of Washington separately completed major reconstruction of the adjacent, Hitherto Forlorn Town Beach at Lake Waramaug, which may be used only by Washington residents and their guests. New parking areas were constructed, new fencing and landscaping were installed, and a new boathouse with a caretaker's apartment was constructed.

In popular culture

"Lake Waramaug" is a song by goth/synth rock band

Deadsy Deadsy is an American industrial rock band from Los Angeles. The band is known for its visual appearance and unique musical style the band self-describes as "undercore". The band has released two major studio albums. The band was initially si ...

. It appeared on the band's 2002 album '' Commencement''.

References

External links

Lake Waramaug Association

Lake panoramics going counterclockwise around lake

Lake panoramics of fall foliage including Lake Waramaug

Cycling around lake video
{{authority control Warren, Connecticut Washington, Connecticut State parks of Connecticut Parks in Litchfield County, Connecticut Connecticut placenames of Native American origin Waramaug Waramaug Protected areas established in 1920 Campgrounds in Connecticut

Description

Town of Washington improvements

In popular culture

Further reading

References

External links