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Lake Washington

Lake Washington was expanded and put into service as a reservoir in 1907, although it had been providing water to its predecessor, Monell's Pond, since 1852. The dam has been raised many times since then to increase capacity.

In 2016 the city briefly declared a water emergency and started using Browns Pond, its backup supply, when levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) near the federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines of 200 parts per trillion (ppt) were found in the lake. A pond on the Stewart Air Guard Base from which Silver Stream, one of Lake Washington's tributaries, rises, had levels of 5,900 ppt. 

Pharoah Lake Wilderness Map Pack

A series of maps of the Pharoah Lake Wilderness in the Adirondacks available as an easy to download single PDF.

Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Map Pack by Andy Arthur on Scribd

A controversial Onondaga Lake spur finally opened last fall. Now it’s closed indefinitely – syracuse.com

A controversial Onondaga Lake spur finally opened last fall. Now it’s closed indefinitely – syracuse.com

The controversial, long-delayed bicycle path on a tract of land along the southeast corner of Onondaga Lake finally opened last fall — but it hasn’t reopened this spring.

The trail, about a third of a mile long, sustained damage over the winter from waves and wind along the shore.

Onondaga County’s attempts to build a short, dead-end trail on the contaminated property behind Destiny USA has been troubled from the start. And now the trail, open for just six weeks last fall, sustained so much damage during the winter it’s closed indefinitely. A red-and-white sign on the fence blocking off the trail reads: “Trail closed until further notice.”

Kayaking Hitchens Pond & Lows Lake, Aug 13

The Bog River Flow, also known as Lows Lake is a spectacular wilderness/primitive area located in South-East Saint Lawerence County. It consists of two dams, Lows Upper and Lows Lower, that create to massive man-made lakes. It is home to over 100 paddle in campsites along with some amazing views and wildlife.

Here is a downloadable map.

 

Above Lower Lows Dam. Paddling up the “flooded” Bog River, in the lower portion of Bog River flow, right above the Lower Lows Dam. If this area was not flooded by dams, it would be rapids, unaccessible by canoe or kayak.

Above Lower Lows Dam

Chimpmunk Swims. This was taken about a mile above the Lower Lows Dam.

Chimpmunk Swims

Bog River Flow Narrows. The Lower portion of the Bog River, is pretty narrow in part, due to the rocky terrain that it covers. You can easily bottom out a canoe or kayak in these parts, and other parts appear quite deep. There are a couple of paddle-in campsites along here.

Bog River Flow Narrows

Bog River Open Up A Little Bit. The first mile or so of the Bog River Flow is mostly flooded stream. But as you get closer to Hitchens Pond, it starts to widen a bit.

Bog River Open Up A Little Bit

Entering Hitchens Pond. Just past here, is a hairpin turn, as the flooded River, winds a bit, and becomes a much larger lake, in the form of a series of bays and marshes.

Entering Hitchens Pond

Hitchens Pond. Here things open up quite bit.

Hitchens Pond

Lows Ledge. Here is Lows Ledge reflecting into Hitchins Pond. It’s much larger in person then it appears in this picture, unless you have a very big computer monitor.

Lows Ledge

Railroad Bridge. About two miles into Bog River Flow, you cross under a relatively low railroad bridge. It’s actually about 5 or 6 feet above the flow, and doesn’t feel at all cramped in a canoe or kayak.

Railroad Bridge

Under the Railroad Bridge. This shouldn’t be too bad to clear.

Under the Railroad Bridge

Trees Along Hitchens Pond. This picture can’t even reflect the beauty of this portion of Bog River Flow.

Trees Along Hitchens Pond

Break Time. Drinking all that beer, meant I had to find a place along the Flow to get out, stretch, and take a piss. Things being so boggy and soft in parts, meant there wasn’t a lot of open area to take a break.

Spokey Nights at Camp

Lows Ledge. I’m now about halfway between Lows Lower Dam and Lows Upper Dam, as the ledge reflects beautifully into the lake. It’s a very spiritual thing for sure, paddling along through this lake.

Lows Ledge

Clouds Rolling Out. To the south, it looked still quite cloudy. But there was something quiet spiritual about the area, and quiet vast. Something also spoke to me as being Saint Lawrence County, and as vast as one would expect the biggest county in the state to be.

Clouds Rolling Out

The Channel. The lake turns once again, with beautiful marsh lands along the edge of the lake.

The Channel

Marshy. Portions of Hitchens Pond are quite marshy, and can be tough going, especially if one gets out of the channel.

Marshy

Trees. These trees line the last big turn at Hitchens Pond, where you finally get into the main bay, as you head towards the Upper Lows Dam.

Trees Along Hitchens Pond

Marshland. Along Hitchens Pond as we get closer to Lows Upper Dam.

Marshland

Lows Ledge. Now we are almost up to the portage for Lows Upper Dam. Quite purty I must say.

Lows Ledge

Kayakers Pull Out. You have to pull your boat out of the water, and carry it over the Lows Lake Upper Dam, about a 10 feet elevation, and maybe a 50 foot portage.

2020 US Census Urban Areas in New York State

Bog River Area Pull Off. A lot of people pull out here, for lunch. Or they can be fools, and not use the channel to bottom of the dam, and carry their canoes, an additional 1/4 mile for no real purpose, to get it over the Lows Upper Dam. Not like I would be that stupid, now right? Of course, I just covered my camera with beer, so I shouldn’t be opening my mouth.

These days won\'t last long

Lows Upper Dam. This is the last picture I got for the day, because I dropped the camera in a pool of beer in kayak, and things go wet. Eventually the camera dried out and started to work fine, but for now, we have to go pictureless. From here, the bottom portion of Lows Lake proper, above the Upper Lows dam, is much like the bottom part of Hitchens Pond, narrow, deep channel, that widens up.

Debar Pond

Above Upper Lows Dam. This is the channel above the Upper Lows Dam, which technically is Lows Lake now. About a mile up from here, the lake gets shallow, and you must portage up into the more open Lows Lake main section. Yes, the camera lens has beer in it, that now has to dry out before I can take any more pictures. Nothing until tomorrow. It’s my Friday the 13th luck and stupidity of leaving the camera in the kayak, not in it’s protective case, as I pull out, and spilled beer soaks everything.

Above Upper Lows Dam

Finger Lakes invasion of spotted lanternfly predicted | News | fltimes.com

Finger Lakes invasion of spotted lanternfly predicted | News | fltimes.com

GENEVA — The Finger Lakes may be invaded by the spotted lanternfly soon.

The insect is an invasive pest from Asia that feeds primarily on trees and a variety of plants, including grapevines, hops, maple, walnut and fruit trees. It arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014. They have spread to Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and now New York, starting on Long Island and in downstate areas.

They pose a risk to state agricultural and forest health, as they use their sucking mouth parts to feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, making the plants vulnerable to disease and attacks from other insects. Officials worry that the spotted lanternfly will harm the state’s grape and apple crops.