Cayuga Lake

Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake as viewed in the late afternoon fromCornell Universityin the early 2000s.
Cayuga Lake Location of Cayuga Lake inNew York state Cayuga Lake Cayuga Lake (the United States)
Location	Cayuga/Seneca/Tompkinscounties,New York,U.S.
Group	Finger Lakes
Coordinates	42°41′17″N76°42′8″W
Lake type	Ground moraine
Primary inflows	Fall Creek,Cayuga Inlet,Salmon Creek,Taughannock Creek,Six Mile Creek
Primary outflows	Seneca River
Catchment area	2,033 km2(785 sq mi)
Basincountries	United States
Max. length	61.4 km (38.2 mi)
Max. width	3.5 mi (5.6 km)
Surface area	172 km2(66 sq mi)
Average depth	54.5 m (179 ft)
Max. depth	133 m (436 ft)
Water volume	9.4 km3(2.3 cu mi)
Residence time	18.2 years
Shore length1	153.4 km (95.3 mi)
Surface elevation	381.9 ft (116.4 m)
Islands	2 (Frontenac Island and Canoga Island)
Settlements	seearticle
References
1Shore length isnot a well-defined measure.

Cayuga Lake(/kəˈjuːɡə/,/keɪˈjuːɡə/or/kaɪˈjuːɡə/) is the longest of centralNew York's glacialFinger Lakes,and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller thanSeneca Lake) and second largest in volume. It is just under 39 miles (63 km) long. Its average width is 1.7 miles (2.8 km), and it is 3.5 mi wide (5.6 km) at its widest point, nearAurora.It is approximately 435 ft deep (133 m) at its deepest point, and has over 95 miles (153 km) of shoreline.

The lake is named after the indigenousCayuga people.

Location

The city ofIthaca,site ofIthaca CollegeandCornell University,is located at the southern end of Cayuga Lake.

Villages and settlements along the east shore of Cayuga Lake includeMyers,King Ferry,Aurora,Levanna,Union Springs,andCayuga.Settlements along the west shore of the lake includeSheldrake,Poplar Beach,andCanoga.

The lake has two small islands. One is near Union Springs, called Frontenac Island (northeast); this island is not inhabited. The other island, Canoga Island (northwest), is located near the town of Canoga. This island has several camps and is inhabited during the summer months. The only other island in any of the Finger Lakes isSkenoh IslandinCanandaigua Lake.

Geographical characteristics

Map of the Finger Lakes

The lake depth, with steep east and west sides and shallow north and south ends, is typical of the Finger Lakes, as they were carved byglaciersduring the lastice age.

The water level is regulated by the Mud Lock at the north end of the lake. It is connected toLake Ontarioby theErie CanalandSeneca Lakeby theSeneca River.The lake is drawn down as winter approaches, to minimize ice damage and to maximize its capacity to store heavy spring runoff.

The north end is dominated by shallowmudflats.An important stopover formigratory birds,the mudflats and marsh are the location of theMontezuma National Wildlife Refuge.The southern end is also shallow and often freezes during the winter.

Human impact

Winter view of the head of Cayuga Lake

Cayuga Lake is very popular among recreational boaters. TheAllan H. Treman State Marine Park,with a large state marina and boat launch, is located at the southern end of the lake in Ithaca. There are two yacht clubs on the western shore:Ithaca Yacht Club,a few miles north of Ithaca, and Red Jacket Yacht Club, just south of Canoga. There are several other marinas and boat launches, scattered along the lake shore.

Cayuga Lake is the source of drinking water for several communities, including Lansing, near the southern end of the lake along the east side, which draws water through theBolton Point Water System.There are also severallake source coolingsystems that are in operation on the lake, whereby cooler water is pumped from the depths of the lake, warmed, and circulated in a closed system back to the surface. One of these systems, which is operated by Cornell University and began operation in 2000, was controversial during the planning and building stages, due to its potential for having a negative environmental impact. However, all of the environmental impact reports and scientific studies have shown that the Cornell lake source cooling system has not yet had, and will not likely have any measurably significant environmental impact. Furthermore, Cornell's system pumps significantly less warm water back into the lake than others further north, which have been operating for decades, including the coal-fired power plant on the eastern shore.

AES Cayuga, on the eastern shore of the lake

The AES Coal Power plant was shut down in August 2019, and there are plans to convert it into a data center in the near future. The plant used to use Cayuga Lake as a cooling source. In the late 1960s, citizens successfully opposed the construction of an 830-MW nuclear power plant on the shore of Cayuga Lake.

Rod Serlingnamed his production company Cayuga Productions, during the years of his TV series,The Twilight Zone.Serling and his family had a summer home at Cayuga Lake.

Fishing

The fish population is managed and substantial sport fishing is practiced, with anglers targetingsmelt,lake troutandsmallmouth bass.Fish species present in the lake includelake trout,landlocked salmon,brown trout,rainbow trout,smallmouth bass,smelt,alewife,atlantic salmon,black crappie,bluegill,pickerel,largemouth bass,northern pike,pumpkinseed sunfish,rock bass,andyellow perch.Theround gobyhas been an invasive species in the lake since the 1990s.There are state owned hard surface ramps inCayuga–Seneca Canal,Lock #1 (Mud Lock),Long Point State Park,Cayuga Lake State Park,Deans Cove Boat Launch,Taughannock Falls State Park,andAllan H. Treman State Marine Park.

Tributaries

The major inflows to the lake are:Fall Creek,Cayuga Inlet,Salmon Creek,Taughannock Creek,andSix Mile Creek;while the lake outflows into theSeneca Riverand other tributaries. Ungaged tributaries that inflow to the lake include:

• Barnum Creek
• Bergen Creek
• Big Hollow Creek
• Bloomer Creek
• Canoga Creek
• Dean Creek
• Demont Creek
• Glen Creek
• Glenwood Creek
• Great Gully Brook
• Groves Creek
• Gulf Creek
• Indian Creek
• Little Creek
• Lively Run
• Mack Creek
• Minnegar Brook
• Morrow Creek
• Paines Creek
• Red Creek
• Schuyler Creek
• Sheldrake Creek
• Trumansburg Creek
• Williams Brook
• Willow Creek
• Yawger Creek

Folklore

Cornell West Campusand Cayuga Lake, as seen fromMcGraw Tower

The lake is the subject of local folklore.

AnIthaca Journalarticle of January 5, 1897, reported that a sea serpent, nicknamed "Old Greeny," had been sighted in Cayuga Lake annually for 69 years.A sighting in that month described the animal, 200 feet (61 m) from shore, as "large and its body long," though a "tramp" suggested it was a muskrat.In 1929, two creatures, about 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) in length, were reportedly spotted along the eastern shore of the lake.Further sightings were reported in 1974 and 1979.

Cornell'salma matermakes reference to its position "Far Above Cayuga's Waters",while that of Ithaca College references"Cayuga's shore".

A tradition atWells Collegein Aurora held that if the lake completely freezes over, classes are canceled, though for only one day.According to Wells College records, this happened eight times, in "1875, 1912, 1918, 1934, 1948, 1962, 1979 and 2015."[1]

Cayuga Lake, like nearbySeneca Lake,is also the site of a phenomenon known as theGuns of the Seneca,mysterious cannon-like booms heard in the surrounding area. Many of these booms may be attributable tobird-scarers,automated cannon-like devices used by farmers to scare birds away from the many vineyards, orchards and crops. There is, however, no proof of this.

Wine

See also:Cayuga Lake AVA

Cayuga Lake is included in theAmerican Viticultural Areawith which it shares its name. Established in 1988,the AVA now boasts over a dozenwineries,fourdistilleries,acidery,and ameadery.

See also

• Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
• Taughannock Falls

External links

• World Lakes Database - Cayuga Lake
• Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
• The Cayuga Lake Defense Fund
• Cornell's Lake Source Cooling FAQ
• Cornell's environmental impact statement for Lake Source Cooling