Jamesville Reservoir

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Jamesville Reservoir
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Jamesville Reservoir
Location Onondaga County, New York, United States
Coordinates 42°58′30″N76°04′10″W / 42.97500°N 76.06944°W / 42.97500; -76.06944
Primary inflows Butternut Creek
Primary outflows Butternut Creek
Basin  countriesUnited States
Surface area198 acres (0.80 km2)
Average depth10 feet (3.0 m)
Max. depth36 ft (11 m)
Shore length13.2 miles (5.1 km)
Surface elevation640 ft (200 m) [1]
Islands 1
Settlements Jamesville, New York
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Jamesville Reservoir is a lake located by Jamesville, New York. The reservoir was created to provide water for the Erie Canal in the 1870s. Since at least the 1940s, it has been a popular recreational site. Onondaga County operates Jamesville Beach Park on the reservoir.

Contents

History

The creation of Jamesville Reservoir on Butternut Creek was approved by the Erie Canal Commission in 1872, [2] and a dam completed by 1874. [3] The Canal Commission intended the reservoir to supply the Erie Canal with water during dry months, estimating that it would be able to provide 2,000 cubic feet (57 m3) per minute for sixty days through a feeder canal near Orville. [4] The final cost was $130,000, [2] above the initial estimates of $100,000. [4]

In the early 20th-century, a company harvested ice from the Reservoir in the winter. [5] By the 1940s, Jamesville Reservoir was a popular site for swimming, and Onondaga County began considering the development of a public beach. [6] The Jamesville Beach Park officially opened on July 2, 1949, though initial work continued on the park for at least a year afterwards. [7] [8] [9] The park was expanded in the 1960s, and again in 1996. [9]

Fishing

Fish species present in the lake include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black bullhead, tiger muskie, rock bass, smallmouth bass, pickerel, walleye, and pumpkinseed sunfish. There is carry down access located at the Jamesville Beach Park with the purchase of a day use fee. [10]

References

  1. ↑ "Jamesville Reservoir". dec.ny.gov. NYSDEC. 1998. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 Whitford, Noble E. (1906). History of the Canal System of the State of New York: Together with Brief Histories of the Canals of the United States and Canada ... Brandow Printing Company. p. 967.
  3. ↑ Dunn, Bernard (1978-08-25). "Floodflow Characteristics of Butternut Creek and Jamesville Reservoir, Jamesville, Onondaga County, New York" (PDF). United Stated Department of the Interior Geological Survey. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  4. 1 2 "Annual Report of the General Condition of the Canals". Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York. E. Croswell. 1873. pp. 42–43.
  5. ↑ Joe, Stanley (1979-08-19). "Way Back When..." Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  6. ↑ "Beach for Jamesville Reservoir Under Study". The Post-Standard. 1947-05-24. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  7. ↑ "Today's Opening of Jamesville Beach Park". Syracuse Herald-Journal. 1949-07-02. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  8. ↑ "Jamesville Beach Popular Cool Spot on Opening Day". The Post-Standard. 1949-07-03. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  9. 1 2 "Jamesville Beach Park History" (PDF). Onondaga County Parks. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  10. ↑ Sportsman's Connection (Firm) (2011-01-01), Western Adirondacks New York fishing map guide: includes lakes & streams for the following counties: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Cortland, Erie, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates., Sportsman's Connection, ISBN   978-1-885010-63-6, OCLC   986498446
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