| Lake Memphremagog | |
|---|---|
| Lake Memphremagog | |
| Location | Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada / Orleans County, Vermont, USA |
| Catchment area | 687 sq mi (1,779 km2) |
| Basin countries | Canada / United States |
| Max. length | 32 mi (51 km) |
| Surface area | 102 km2 (39 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 15.5 m (51 ft) |
| Max. depth | 107 m (351 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 208 m (682 ft) |
| Islands | 20 |
Lake Memphremagog (Lac Memphrémagog in Quebec) is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada.[1] The lake is 27 miles (43 km) long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River.[2] However, three-quarters of its watershed, 489 square miles (1,270 km2), is in Vermont. The total is 687 square miles (1,780 km2), with 198 square miles (510 km2) located in Quebec.[3] In Vermont, the lake lies in parts of the towns of Derby and Newport, in addition to the city of Newport, all in Orleans County. In Quebec, the lake lies in parts of Austin, Magog, Ogden, Potton, Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, and Stanstead Township, all in Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality.
The lake elevation is 682 feet (208 m) and its maximum recorded depth is 285 feet (87 m) located near the international divide. The lake is the third deepest in Vermont[4][5] It contains 20 islands. Province Island, the largest, is divided by the international border.[6] The name Memphremagog is derived from Algonkian, in which it means "where there is a big expanse of water".
The lake occupies most of what the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources calls "Basin 17."[7]
Contents |
Like many other lakes, Memphremagog is faced with accumulating phosphorus, sediments, and other pollutants from a variety of sources. In addition, exotic species infestations are a concern, with an existing Eurasian water milfoil population and the potential for a zebra mussel infestation. Since the 1970s, significant efforts have been made to reduce the polluting effects of direct discharges into the lake and its tributaries, and lake quality has improved.
In 1994, a Lake Memphremagog Watershed Association was formed to focus on solving lake and river issues.[8]
Testing done in 2008 was unable to determine the cause of excessive nitrogen and phosphorus.[9]
In 2010, a study revealed that farms contribute disproportionately to nutrient loads. Although farms have 16% of total land use in the drainage area, they produce 44% of the runoff. Baseline nutrients for a lake are 14 micrograms of phosphorus per liter of water. The lake was measured at 17 micrograms, 18% above normal. Although the acreage devoted to farming has decreased, the retired land has most often been developed, itself a source of runoff.[10]
Four Vermont rivers directly empty into the lake: the Clyde, Barton, the Black and the Johns River.
In the middle of the winter, the ice can become 3 feet (0.9 m) thick.[11]
Some claim Lake Memphremagog contains a reptile-like monster named Memphre (or Memphré), which has received sightings since the 18th century and continues on in the folklore of the area in a similar vein as the Loch Ness Monster.[12] It is claimed that Memphre has been spotted as recently as 2000.[13]
In 1753, the Abenakis brought the ransomed John Stark down the lake and came ashore where Newport is now.
Rogers' Rangers were forced to retreat south following their attack on Saint-Francis, Quebec in 1759. To confound their avenging pursuers, they split up on the east shore of the lake.[14]
The Mountain Maid paddlewheeler operated from 1850 to 1870.[15] The Lady of the Lake steam excursion/ferry paddlewheeler started operating in 1867. It stopped operations in 1917. It was based in Newport. The Anthemis steamer was built in 1909 to carry 300 people. It stopped operating after 1945.[15]
In August 1942, a single-engined Royal Canadian Air Force training plane crashed into the lake near the west shore near Newport, killing the pilot, its only occupant.[16]
In 2010 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accepted a bequest of 420 acres (170 ha) undeveloped land on the shores the lake on Eagle Point along the border with Canada. [17]
Lake Memphremagog is known to have had at least three lighthouses used in aiding boaters in navigating the waters of the large lake. All three of the original lighthouses have been demolished.
The Maxfield Point Light was a small lighthouse constructed on the Vermont side of Lake Memphremagog in 1879. A conical, cast iron structure, it was 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, with a focal plane 40 feet (12.2 m) above sea level. It showed a fixed white light, visible for 10 (16 km) miles. The lighthouse no longer exists; it is unknown what happened to it, or when it was deactivated.[18]
The Newport Wharf Light was a tower that was built in the Newport section of Lake Memphremagog in 1879. The lighthouse was a steel skeleton tower, painted red, that was fixed on a concrete foundation. The tower showed a fixed red light that was visible for up to 12 miles (19.3 km), with the height of the focal plane being 37 feet (11.2 m). As with the Maxfield Point Lighthouse, the date this lighthouse was demolished is unknown.[19]
Whipple Point Light was a tower that was built on the end of a pier on Whipple Point in Lake Memphremagog. Built in 1879, the tower was constructed of wood in a hexagonal shape and stood 13 feet (4 m). The light was fixed white and was visible from up to 10 miles (16 km) away, with a focal plane of 25 feet (7.6 m). The lighthouse was deactivated around 1906 and was demolished at an unknown date.[20]
The watershed in Vermont is largely agricultural and forest land with residential development increasing in recent years in both Vermont and Quebec.
The lake furnishes potable (drinking) water for 200,000 people.[7]
The Canadian band The Tragically Hip mentions Lake Memphremagog in their 2002 unreleased song Problem Bears; part of their In Violet Light album sessions.