The Great Sacandaga Lake (formerly the Sacandaga Reservoir) is a large

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 ...

situated in the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of Forest Preserve (New York), New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York (state), New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasur ...

in northern New York in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The lake has a surface area of about at capacity, and the length is about . The word ''Sacandaga'' means "Land of the Waving Grass" in the local native language. The lake is located in the northern parts of

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

and Saratoga County near the southern border of the Adirondack Park. A small portion also extends northward into southern Hamilton County. The broader, south end of the lake is northeast of the City of Johnstown and the City of Gloversville. Great Sacandaga Lake is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

created by damming the Sacandaga River. The primary purpose for the creation of the reservoir was to control flooding on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

and the Sacandaga River, floods which had a historically significant impact on the surrounding communities.

History

Great Sacandaga Lake from Hadley Mountain tower June 2021

Damming the Sacandaga River had been proposed repeatedly throughout the late 19th century. Only after several large floods impacted downstream communities, such as the city of Albany, was there a serious and concerted effort by the state to explore flood control. A public benefit corporation was established to study the feasibility of the dam and later adopted a resolution proposing the dam in 1924. Construction began in the 1920s and completed in March 1930, at a cost of $12 million.: ''History of Sacandaga Reservoir''
/ref> The dam was constructed at Conklingville in the Town of Day, Saratoga County. 4

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

s and a steel railroad bridge were removed or destroyed. A new bridge consisting of 21 steel spans was constructed at Batchellerville. This 1930 bridge was replaced in 2012. Land speculation flourished as the plan to control the river and flood a large expanse of land leaked out. Many people chose to remove houses and buildings to new sites outside of the flood zone. Many isolated farms were flooded as well as all or part of ten communities (Batchellerville, Fish House, Osborne Bridge, The Vly, Cranberry Creek, Sacandaga Park, Town of Day, Conklingville, Munsonville and Benedict). 1100 people were forced out of their homes and twenty four cemeteries holding 3,872 graves were moved. Anything left behind as the dam neared completion was burned. The new body of water was initially called a "reservoir," but in the 1960s it was renamed the Great Sacandaga Lake in an effort to promote tourism to the area. The reservoir is managed by the Hudson River–Black River Regulating District. Today, the local businesses benefit not only from the flood protection provided by the lake, but also from the tourist attraction and the resulting economy that the lake has created in the area. People not only come from many local cities and towns to visit the lake for recreation, but also from other areas of the state, New England, and New Jersey. Many local and out-of-state residents are not only visitors, but also come to the lake to stay in their summer camps and second homes. Public access to the lake is via the many public boat launches, public beaches, and campgrounds that are located on the shores of the lake. Although the lake and some lands surrounding it are owned by

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, no public money is used to manage the reservoir. Approximately 70% of the District's revenues come from lease agreements with electrical power companies who run the hydroelectric turbines in the dam. Located on the south shore is the David Rayfiel House, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2009. The

Northern Pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

that is recognized as the North American record fish of that

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

at 46 lbs. 2 oz (20.9 kg), was caught in the reservoir on September 15, 1940 by Peter Dubuc.

Operation

Hudson River–Black River Regulating District *Location: Lat 43°18'57", long 73°55'39" (North American Datum of 1927), Saratoga County, NY, Hydrologic Unit 02020002, 800 ft upstream from right end of Conklingville Dam on Sacandaga River at Conklingville. *Period of record: January 1930 to current year. Prior to October 1969, published as "Sacandaga Reservoir at Conklingville". *Gage: Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is NGVD of 1929, adjustment of 1912.

Fishing

Fish species present in the lake are

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 ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

, smallmouth bass,

rock bass The rock bass (''Ambloplites rupestris''), also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red eyed creature is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish fa ...

, smelt, brown trout,

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 ...

landlocked salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon ar ...

, pumpkinseed sunfish, and

brown bullhead The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''Am ...

. There are four different access sites, including: a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch on NY-30, in the village of Northville; a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch at the Northampton Beach Campground near NY-30, south of the village of Northville; a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch off County Route 110, northeast of the village of Broadalbin; and a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch on North Shore Road, north of the hamlet of Edinburgh.

Gallery

File:Conklingville Dam.jpg, The Conklingville Dam File:GreatSacandagaLakeDusk.jpg, The lake at sunset File:Greatsacandagalake.jpg, The narrow section of the lake File:BachelorvilleBridge.jpg, The old bridge File:Thenewbachelorbridge (crop).jpg, The new bridge File:Great Sacandaga Lake from Northville Road.JPG, View from new bridge

References

External links