Lake Chillisquaque

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Coordinates: 41°06′18″N 76°39′36″W / 41.105°N 76.660°W / 41.105; -76.660
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Lake Chillisquaque
Montour Lake
PPL
Built1972 (1972)
Surface area165 acres (67 ha)
Max. depth40 feet (12 m)
Shore length1approximately 4.0 miles (6.4 km)[1]
Surface elevation567 feet (173 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Chillisquaque (also known as Montour Lake

agricultural runoff
as well.

Lake Chillisquaque is owned by Pennsylvania energy company

nature preserve
.

Geography

Lake Chillisquaque is located on Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek, in Anthony Township.[3][4] However, other streams feed into the lake as well.[5] It is 11 miles (18 km) north of Danville and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Washingtonville.[6][7] The lake can be accessed via Pennsylvania Route 44 and Pennsylvania Route 54. The nearest road is Preserve Road/State Route 1006.[7] The lake has an elevation of 567 feet (173 m).[8] With a surface area of 165 acres, the lake is the largest of 82 bodies of water in Montour County.[4] Lake Chillisquaque is the only reservoir in Montour County.[8] Lake Chillisquaque is surrounded by forested hills and agricultural land. The Muncy Hills are situated to the north of the lake.[7]

Large parts of Lake Chillisquaque are fairly shallow. Most of Heron Cove is less than 10 feet (3.0 m) deep and a large area near the lake's

boat ramp is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) deep. The deepest parts of the lake, near the lake's dam, are 40 feet (12 m) deep.[2] Lake Chillisquaque has a number of coves, including Heron Cove and the nearby Jellyfish Cove.[2] Goose Cove is another cove on the lake.[7] It is located in the lake's northwestern section.[1] There are numerous other smaller coves and bays.[7] Numerous objects, including tire reefs and cement blocks, have been placed in Lake Chillisquaque to increase its suitability as a fish habitat.[9] There are also basking platforms for turtles on the lake.[10]

Dam

The top of the dam on Lake Chillisquaque

Lake Chillisquaque is dammed by an

earth-fill dam known as the Lake Chillisquaque Dam.[11][12] Located on the southern side of the lake,[5] the dam is 2,000 feet (610 m) long and 54 feet (16 m) high.[11] The dam is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide at its highest point and the top of the dam forms an access road. The inner part of the dam is a silty clay material, while the outside is made of weathered shale.[11]

According to the Montour County Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, a major failure in the Lake Chillisquaque Dam could cause damage to several nearby communities, such as Strawberry Ridge and Washingtonville. It could also result in a decrease in the output of the Montour Power Plant, causing a brownout in the area. A severe failure of the dam is considered by the Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan to be the most dangerous threat to Montour County.[12]

Hydrology

The water

agricultural runoff due to the presence of large tracts of agricultural land near the lake.[14]

The concentration of

aluminum ranges from 200 to 1400 micrograms per liter.[13]

The light intensity on the surface of Lake Chillisquaque is 1200 micro-moles per square meter. 15 feet (4.6 m) below the surface of the lake, the light intensity is only 100 micro-moles per square meter. At this depth, only light wavelengths between 450 and 700 nanometers are visible, with 550-millimeter wavelengths (green light) being the most common.[14] The Sechhi depth of the lake ranges from 1.20 metres (3.9 ft) to 3.80 metres (12.5 ft).[13]

History and etymology

Lake Chillisquaque is named after Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek, which in turn is derived from a chillisuagi, a

PPL, with the dam having been constructed in 1971.[3][12] The lake is also owned by this organization.[4] The lake's original purpose was as a secondary supply of cooling water for the Montour Power Plant.[3] Still used as a supply of cooling water in emergencies, it is also used for recreation.[4] As is typical of manmade lakes, however, this use of the lake only started several years after its creation.[16]

One person drowned in a boating accident on February 16, 2006, and there was another accidental death in April 2011.[17][18]

Biology

Animals

A total of approximately 200 bird species have been observed on or near Lake Chillisquaque,

ringneck pheasants can be found near the lake.[16]

Additionally, numerous species of

common carp, two fathead minnows, and a single green sunfish.[19] An electrofishing survey done by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on Lake Chillisquaque discovered 54 walleyes from 5 to 23 inches (13 to 58 cm) long and 48 largemouth bass from 8 to 18 inches (20 to 46 cm).[19]

Plants

Twelve

grass grow along the shores of Lake Chillisquaque.[2] Additionally, a sizable population of Rotala ramosior grows on the lake.[20]

Microbes

Various types of cyanobacteria inhabit Lake Chillisquaque. The specific genera that inhabit the lake vary at different times of the year and also at different depths within the lake. Due to the presence of light attenuation in the lake, light plays a role in determining which species of cyanobacteria inhabit it.[14]

In September 2009, the most common type of microbe on the surface of Lake Chillisquaque was Oscillatoria, which made up approximately 75 percent of the total. Raphidiopsis was the second most common type, making up approximately 15 percent of the total. In May 2010, approximately 40 percent of the microbes were Navicula and 35 percent were Oscillatoria. Slightly less than 10 percent of the microbes are Anabaena. In July 2010, Oscillatoria and Synechococcus each made up approximately 25 percent of the microbes and between 10 and 15 percent were Anabaena.[14]

Slightly less than 60 percent of the microbes 15 feet (4.6 m) under the surface of Lake Chillisquaque were of the genus Oscillatoria in September 2009. Slightly more than 10 percent each of the microbes were of the genera Xylophilus and Verrucomicrobium. In May 2010, slightly less than 40 percent of the microbes in the depths of the lake were of the genus Dolichospermum. The genera Synechococcus, Navicula, and Xylophilus each made up approximately 20 percent of the microbes. In July 2010, nearly 85 percent of the microbes were of the genus Xylophilus and less than 10 percent were of the genus Oscillatoria.[14]

Recreation

Fishing, including ice fishing, is a common pastime on Lake Chillisquaque.[3] Fishing and boating are permitted on the lake at any time of day, although boats fueled by gasoline are forbidden.[9] Boating of any kind is also forbidden annually between March 15 and April 30 and is also forbidden in Goose Cove year round.[7] The only area for boating access on the lake is on the eastern side of the lake, at the Heron Cove Boat Access Area.[2] The paddling and running stages of the Chilli Challenge triathlon are on Lake Chillisquaque and the Chillisuagi Trail, respectively.[21][22]

Lake Chillisquaque is surrounded by a thousand-acre

hiking trails known as the Chillisuagi Trail and the Ridgefield Point Trail circumnavigate the lake. Their combined length is 4.8 miles (7.7 km). The latter trail is not blazed. The Chillisuagi Trail is wide and fairly flat for part of its length, but is hillier near Goose Cove. On the eastern side of the lake, the trail stays close to the shoreline, but it passes through fields, meadows, and forests on the western side.[5] The scenery on Lake Chillisquauque is described as "good to very good" by Jeff Mitchell in his book Paddling Pennsylvania: Canoeing and Kayaking the Keystone State's Rivers and Lakes.[7] The lake is one of 18 lakes in Pennsylvania with Panfish Enhancement Special Regulations.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Google Maps, 2014, retrieved August 2, 2014
  2. ^ a b c d e f Vic Attardo (October 5, 2010), Spring Bass Hotspots In Eastern Pennsylvania, retrieved July 30, 2014
  3. ^
    PPL, Lake Chillisquaque
    , retrieved July 30, 2014
  4. ^ a b c d e Montour County Conservation District (December 2009), Montour County Implementation Plan For The Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014, retrieved July 30, 2014
  5. ^
    ISBN 9780811744232
  6. ^ Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (May 2003), Lake Chillisquaque Montour County May 12 – 16, 2003, archived from the original on August 21, 2014, retrieved July 31, 2014
  7. ^
    ISBN 9780811736268
  8. ^ a b Topographic Map Reservoir Features in Montour County, Pennsylvania, retrieved July 30, 2014
  9. ^ a b c Columbia-Montour Visitors' Bureau, Fishing – Reel Em' In, retrieved July 30, 2014
  10. ^ Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Fish Habitat Improvement Plan for Lake Chillisquaque, Montour County (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016, retrieved July 30, 2014
  11. ^ a b c R. Jeffrey Kimball, Kuang-Hwei Chuang (August 1979), National Dam Inspection Program. Lake Chillisquaque (NDS ID Number PA-815, DER ID Number 47-8), Susquehanna River Basin, Middle Branch of Chillisquaque Creek, Montour County, Pennsylvania. Phase I Inspection Report, archived from the original on July 14, 2014, retrieved July 9, 2014
  12. ^ a b c Montour County Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan: Appendix C – Hazard Profile (PDF), March 2007, retrieved August 3, 2014
  13. ^ a b c d e United States Geological Survey, USGS 01553650 Lake Chillisquaque near White Hall, PA, retrieved August 2, 2014
  14. ^ a b c d e f Allison Mayhew (January 1, 2011), Microbial community analysis of Lake Chillisquaque, a small water system in Central Pennsylvania, retrieved August 3, 2014
  15. ^
    ISBN 0271038012
  16. ^ a b What's in a name? Lake Chillisquaque offers great fishing, republicanherald.com, June 2, 2013, retrieved July 31, 2014
  17. ^ Woman's April drowning death deemed accidental, The News-Item, August 5, 2011, retrieved August 3, 2014
  18. ^ 2 cited in fatal canoe probe, The Daily Item, August 5, 2007, retrieved August 3, 2014
  19. ^ a b c Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (May 2005), Lake Chillisquaque Montour County May 9–13, 2005, archived from the original on October 19, 2014, retrieved July 30, 2014
  20. ^ a b Pennsylvania Science Office of The Nature Conservancy (2005), Montour County Natural Areas Inventory 2005 (PDF), retrieved August 3, 2014
  21. ^ The Chilli Challenge, retrieved August 2, 2014
  22. ^ Chilli Challenge Adventure Triathlon, retrieved August 3, 2014

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lake_Chillisquaque&oldid=1152938641"