Great Sacandaga Lake
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Great Sacandaga Lake (formerly the Sacandaga Reservoir) is a large lake situated in the Adirondack State Park in northern New York in the United States. The lake has a surface area of about 42.3 square miles (91 km²), and the length is about 29 miles (47 km). The word Sacandaga means "Land of the Waving Grass" in the local native language. The lake is located in the northern parts of Fulton County and Saratoga County near the south border of the Adirondack State Park. The broader, south end of the lake is northeast of the City of Johnstown and the City of Gloversville.
Like many of the other lakes in the Adirondack region of northern New York, Great Sacandaga Lake is a reservoir. The original lake was greatly enlarged by a dam on the Sacandaga River at the northeast end of the lake. The primary purpose for the creation of the reservoir was to control flooding on the Hudson River and the Sacandaga River.
Damming the Sacandaga River had been proposed repeatedly over the late 19th century. Only after several large floods impacted downstream communities, such as the city of Albany, was there a serious and concerted effort by the state to explore flood control. A public benefit corporation was established to study the feasibility of the dam and later adopted a resolution proposing the dam in 1924. The dam was constructed by 1930 at Conklinville in the Town of Day. Land speculation flourished as the plan to control the river and flood a large expanse of land leaked out. Many people chose to remove houses and buildings to new sites outside of the flood zone. Anything left behind as the dam neared completion was burned. However some structures remained standing as well as railroad with an abandoned aging train (now at the bottom of the lake) citation needed. The new body of water was called a reservoir for many years, but after the middle of the 20th Century, the term "lake" became preferred. The reservoir is managed by the Hudson River Black River Regulating District.
Although the lake and some lands surrounding it are owned by New York State, no public money is used to manage the reservoir. Approximately 70% of the District's revenues come from lease agreements with electrical power companies who run the hydroelectric turbines in the dam.
