Otisco Lake
Encyclopedia
Otisco Lake is one of the minor Finger Lakes
, located at the eastern end of the Finger Lake District, southwest of Syracuse, New York
.
Otisco Lake is approximately six miles (9.8 km) long. The outflow enters first Onondaga Lake
via Nine Mile Creek
and then Lake Ontario
via the Seneca
and Oswego River
s. The lake is the source of water for a district west of Syracuse
.
At its deepest point the lake is approximately 60 feet in depth. Part of Otisco Lake is man-made, due to raising the water level by damming the outlet into Nine Mile Creek. The dam initially was constructed to provide a water reservoir for the Erie Canal
. The water level was raised nine feet at the time. Subsequently the dam was rebuilt, raising the level an additional four feet. The natural part of the lake, closer to the southern end, is the deepest. A causeway across the lake was built to carry a road, flooded when the dam raised the level. The road no longer is used. A break in the causeway allows boats to pass between upper and lower parts of the lake. Although not maintained as a public recreational facility, the causeway is much used as a fishing spot.
Origin of the name, derived from an Iroquois
name, appears in the article on the Town of Otisco, New York
.
Closest of the Finger Lakes to the City of Syracuse, the lake is extremely popular in the summer and experiences a population explosion every Memorial Day. On the first day of bass season, usually around the end of the second week in June, the lake fills with boats for the annual fishing derby. Campsites and houses are available for rent, and there is a county park for public use. The Otisco Lake link below mentions three public boat launching sites. There is also a commercial marina on the east side.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "the lake is affected by nonpoint source pollution from agriculture (pesticide and fertilizer use, manure production, and sedimentation resulting from poor tillage practices), residential land use (septic systems, lawncare, and construction), and streambank erosion." Currently the lake is experiencing severe problems brought on by zebra mussels which have come into the water via boaters. Swimmers should wear appropriate footwear as the mussels can be quite sharp.
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
, located at the eastern end of the Finger Lake District, southwest of Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
Otisco Lake is approximately six miles (9.8 km) long. The outflow enters first Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake is a lake in Central New York located northwest of Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Although it is near the Finger...
via Nine Mile Creek
Ninemile Creek (Onondaga Lake)
Nine Mile Creek, a scenic stream noted for trout fishing, extends about twenty-five miles from Otisco Lake in the Town of Marcellus, New York. The Creek runs northward through the villages of Marcellus, New York and Camillus, New York in the Town of Camillus, New York, and discharges into Onondaga...
and then Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
via the Seneca
Seneca River (New York)
The Seneca River in central New York flows from west to east, from Seneca Lake, through the Montezuma Marsh at the north end of Cayuga Lake to the Seneca's confluence with the Oneida and Oswego rivers at the Three Rivers area north of Syracuse. Much of the river has been channelized to form part...
and Oswego River
Oswego River (New York)
The Oswego River is a river in upstate New York in the United States. This river is the second-largest river flowing into Lake Ontario. James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea is set in the Oswego River valley...
s. The lake is the source of water for a district west of Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
At its deepest point the lake is approximately 60 feet in depth. Part of Otisco Lake is man-made, due to raising the water level by damming the outlet into Nine Mile Creek. The dam initially was constructed to provide a water reservoir for the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. The water level was raised nine feet at the time. Subsequently the dam was rebuilt, raising the level an additional four feet. The natural part of the lake, closer to the southern end, is the deepest. A causeway across the lake was built to carry a road, flooded when the dam raised the level. The road no longer is used. A break in the causeway allows boats to pass between upper and lower parts of the lake. Although not maintained as a public recreational facility, the causeway is much used as a fishing spot.
Origin of the name, derived from an Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
name, appears in the article on the Town of Otisco, New York
Otisco, New York
Otisco is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,561 at the 2000 census. The Town of Otisco is in the southwest part of the county. Otisco is situated at the northern edge of the Appalacian Highlands, where an escarpment declines to the Lake Ontario plain and the...
.
Closest of the Finger Lakes to the City of Syracuse, the lake is extremely popular in the summer and experiences a population explosion every Memorial Day. On the first day of bass season, usually around the end of the second week in June, the lake fills with boats for the annual fishing derby. Campsites and houses are available for rent, and there is a county park for public use. The Otisco Lake link below mentions three public boat launching sites. There is also a commercial marina on the east side.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "the lake is affected by nonpoint source pollution from agriculture (pesticide and fertilizer use, manure production, and sedimentation resulting from poor tillage practices), residential land use (septic systems, lawncare, and construction), and streambank erosion." Currently the lake is experiencing severe problems brought on by zebra mussels which have come into the water via boaters. Swimmers should wear appropriate footwear as the mussels can be quite sharp.