Lake Shenorock

Lake Shenorock
Lake Shenorock
	View of Lake Shenorock from "Bass Rock"
	Lake Shenorock
Location	Westchester County, New York
Coordinates	41°19′55″N73°44′22″W / 41.33185°N 73.73932°W
Type	lake
Surface area	5.2 hectares (13 acres)
Average depth	1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in)

Last updated February 29, 2024

Lake Shenorock is a lake located in the hamlet of Shenorock in the town of Somers, New York. The lake is used for fishing and was used for recreational swimming until the Clean Water Act was passed and the lake became a source of drinking water. The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, recreational swimming ended in 1977. The lake is part of the Croton Reservoir System and is a tributary to the Amawalk Reservoir, which is used as a source of water for New York City residents.^[1] There are no major tributaries to the class B lake.

Geography

Lake Shenorock is located at 41°19′55″N73°44′22″W / 41.33194°N 73.73944°W / 41.33194; -73.73944 (41.331850, -73.739323).^[3] Lake Shenorock is located north of the Amawalk Reservoir.

Basin: Lower Hudson River
Size: 5.2 hectares (13 acres)
Lake Origins: Augmented by Dam
Watershed Area: 400 hectares (990 acres)
Mean Depth: 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in)
Sounding Depth: 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in)

Lake uses

Lake Shenorock is classified as a class B lake, its intended use is for swimming. A beach, cement dock and dam can be found on the shore of the lake. Swimming is now banned and Lake Shenorock is used for recreation fishing. The recreational uses are considered to be impaired due to algae and poor water transparency. High levels of phosphorus greatly contribute to the algal growth, low levels of oxygen, and poor water transparency.^[4]

Wildlife

The state of New York does not stock the lake with fish. Lake Shenorock is a warmwater fishery environment that is home to largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, catfish, and other wildlife such as duck, swan, chelydridae, canada goose, and even muskrat.^[5] These are just some of species that inhabit the lake ecosystem, there has been no scientific documentation of the species that live in the lake ecosystem.

Recreational usage

Lake Shenorock once supported two beaches but they were closed in 1977 so that it could be used as a backup supply for the Amawalk and Shenorock water district and tributary to the Amawalk Reservoir. The current association, the United Owners Association of Shenorock, submitted a proposal to the Somers Town Board to create a Park District where recreational swimming would be able to return to the lake after renditions to the Lake were made. Due to the Eutrophic condition of the lake and lack of a clubhouse, restoration projects such as dredging and installment of aeration devices would need to be implemented to enable recreational swimming.^[4]

Health

The lake is currently undergoing a eutrophic process at a faster rate due to the run off of fertilizers that contain chemicals such as phosphorus.^[6] This is causing the lake to undergo the natural process of transitioning into a swamp at a faster rate.^[7]

Water flow

Lake Shenorock has no named tributaries but water released from Lake Shenorock flows into the Amawalk Reservoir. Water which is either released out of Amawalk Reservoir flows south in the Muscoot River and eventually enters the Muscoot Reservoir, and then flows into the New Croton Reservoir. The water enters the New Croton Aqueduct, which sends water to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx, where the water is distributed to the Bronx and to northern Manhattan. On average, the New Croton Aqueduct delivers 10% of New York City's drinking water.^[8] The water that doesn't enter the New Croton Aqueduct will flow into the Hudson River at Croton Point.

Notable Residents

Bryan Carson, Mr. Shenorock Award, 2007

Related Research Articles

Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of microorganisms that may deplete the water of oxygen. When occurring naturally, eutrophication is usually caused by the natural accumulation of nutrients from dissolved phosphate minerals and dead plant matter in water. Manmade or "cultural eutrophication" is often a more rapid process in which a variety of polluting inputs including poorly treated sewage, industrial wastewater, and fertilizer runoff flows into the water. Such nutrient pollution usually causes algal blooms and bacterial growth, resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen in water and causing substantial environmental degradation.

Somers is a town located in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434. The nearby Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time of 65 to 75 minutes from stations at Purdys, Goldens Bridge, Croton Falls, and Katonah.

The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842. The great aqueducts, which were among the first in the United States, carried water by gravity 41 miles (66 km) from the Croton River in Westchester County to reservoirs in Manhattan. It was built because local water resources had become polluted and inadequate for the growing population of the city. Although the aqueduct was largely superseded by the New Croton Aqueduct, which was built in 1890, the Old Croton Aqueduct remained in service until 1955.

Titicus Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Town of North Salem in Westchester County, 30 miles (48 km) north of New York City. One of twelve in the NYC water supply's Croton Watershed, it has been supplying the system since 1893.

East Branch Reservoir, is a reservoir in the town of Southeast, New York, near the village of Brewster. Part of the New York City water supply system, it was formed by impounding the East Branch of the Croton River. Forming part of the Croton Watershed, it was placed into service in 1891, and lies some 35 miles (56 km) north of the city, in the southeast corner of Putnam County.

The Amawalk Reservoir is a small reservoir in the New York City water supply system located in central-northern Westchester County, New York. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 202 and New York State Route 35 in the town of Somers, and is over 32 miles north of New York City. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it was formed by impounding the middle of the Muscoot River, one of the tributaries of the Croton River. This reservoir was put into service in 1897, and was named after the original community of Amawalk, New York, which was inundated by the reservoir and relocated near the dam.

The Bog Brook Reservoir is a 379-acre (153 ha) reservoir in the Croton Watershed in southern New York State, part of the New York City water supply system. It is located in the town of Southeast in Putnam County, approximately 38 miles (61 km) north of New York City. It was formed by the damming of Bog Brook, a small tributary of the East Branch of the Croton River. The reservoir was put into service in 1892, making it one of the older in the system.

The Cross River Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system located directly east and north of the northern Westchester County, New York, Hamlet of Katonah. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it lies within the towns of Bedford, Lewisboro, and Pound Ridge, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the village of Katonah, and over 25 mi (40 km) north of New York City. It was constructed around the start of the 20th century by impounding the Cross River, a tributary of the Croton River, which eventually flows into the Hudson River.

The Croton Falls Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in the Putnam County, New York townships of Carmel, and Southeast, roughly 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it was formed by impounding the West Branch and Middle Branch of the Croton River, tributaries of the Croton River, which flows into the Hudson River.

The Diverting Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in the town of Southeast, New York, in Putnam County immediately south of the village of Brewster, New York. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it lies about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. Construction impounding the East Branch Croton River began early in the 20th century and was completed by 1911.

The Muscoot Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in northern Westchester County, New York, located directly north of the village of Katonah. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it is 25 miles north of the City.

The New Croton Reservoir is a reservoir in Westchester County, New York, part of the New York City water supply system lying approximately 22 miles (35 km) north of New York City. It is the collecting point for water from all reservoirs in the Croton Watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croton River</span> River in New York, United States

The Croton River is a river in southern New York with three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the New York City water supply system, join downstream from the Croton Falls Reservoir. Together, their waters and the reservoirs linked to them represent the northern half of the New York City water system's Croton Watershed.

The Cross River is a short river that rises within the hamlet of Cross River in the town of Lewisboro in southern New York state. Its headwaters make a loop, heading south, then southwest, then northwest, and finally west, continuing a few miles in that direction until it joins a tendril of the Cross River Reservoir, a part of the New York City water supply system.

The New Croton Aqueduct is an aqueduct in the New York City water supply system in Westchester County, New York carrying the water of the Croton Watershed. Built roughly parallel to the Old Croton Aqueduct it originally augmented, the new system opened in 1890. The old aqueduct remained in service until 1955, when supply from the Delaware and Catskill Aqueducts was sufficient to take it off line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Lake (New York)</span>

Kirk Lake is a controlled lake in the hamlet of Mahopac in the town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. It lies due west and sharply below considerably larger Lake Mahopac. It is one of three controlled lakes in the New York City water supply system's Croton Watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croton Watershed</span>

[[File:Crotonrivermap.png|thumb|right|Map of the Croton River watershed. Note that this is not identical with the New York City water supply system's "Croton Watershed"{{efn|Numerous small natural lakes and ponds, as well as large Lake Mahopac, are part of the Croton River's watershed but not part of New York City’s supply system. A map of the actual Croton Watershed is found here. ]]

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croton River watershed</span> Drainage basin in New York State, USA

This page is about the Croton River watershed, a hydrological feature. For the component of the New York City water supply system with a similar name, see Croton Watershed

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscoot River</span>

The Muscoot River is a short tributary of the Croton River in Putnam and Westchester counties in the state of New York. Approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long and running north-to-south, it lies within the Croton River watershed and is part of the New York City water supply system's Croton Watershed.

References

↑ Linsey, K. S., Wolcott, S. W., & Schoonmaker, N. B. (1999). Identification of potential water-resources-monitoring sites in the Croton Reservoir system, southeastern New York. US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey.
↑ Grumet, Robert S. Beyond Manhattan: A Gazetteer of Delaware Indian History Reflected In Modern-Day Place Names (PDF). New York State Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Archived from the original on 2002-05-27. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
1 2 DiSanto, Dennis (2010). "Lake Water Quality Summary: Shenorock Lake" (PDF). www.extapps.dec.ny.gov. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
↑ Mueller, D. K., & Helsel, D. R. (1996). Nutrients in the nation's waters-Too much of a good thing?. M. A. Kidd (Ed.). US Government Printing Office.
↑ Bennett, E. M., Carpenter, S. R., & Caraco, N. F. (2001). Human impact on erodable phosphorus and eutrophication: a global perspective increasing accumulation of phosphorus in soil threatens rivers, lakes, and coastal oceans with eutrophication. BioScience, 51(3), 227-234.
↑ Correll, D. L. (1998). The role of phosphorus in the eutrophication of receiving waters: A review. Journal of Environmental Quality, 27(2), 261-266.
↑ "Jerome Park Reservoir" Archived 2011-09-18 at the Wayback Machine . New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 16 September 2011.

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[1] Linsey, K. S., Wolcott, S. W., & Schoonmaker, N. B. (1999). Identification of potential water-resources-monitoring sites in the Croton Reservoir system, southeastern New York. US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey.

[grumet1-2] Grumet, Robert S. Beyond Manhattan: A Gazetteer of Delaware Indian History Reflected In Modern-Day Place Names (PDF). New York State Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

[GR1-3] "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Archived from the original on 2002-05-27. Retrieved 2011-04-23.

[dec.ny.gov-4] 1 2 DiSanto, Dennis (2010). "Lake Water Quality Summary: Shenorock Lake" (PDF). www.extapps.dec.ny.gov. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

[5] Mueller, D. K., & Helsel, D. R. (1996). Nutrients in the nation's waters-Too much of a good thing?. M. A. Kidd (Ed.). US Government Printing Office.

[6] Bennett, E. M., Carpenter, S. R., & Caraco, N. F. (2001). Human impact on erodable phosphorus and eutrophication: a global perspective increasing accumulation of phosphorus in soil threatens rivers, lakes, and coastal oceans with eutrophication. BioScience, 51(3), 227-234.

[7] Correll, D. L. (1998). The role of phosphorus in the eutrophication of receiving waters: A review. Journal of Environmental Quality, 27(2), 261-266.

[8] "Jerome Park Reservoir" Archived 2011-09-18 at the Wayback Machine . New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 16 September 2011.

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