Sacandaga River

Sacandaga River (Sa-chen-da'-ga)
The Sacandaga River when it flows into the Hudson River
Country United States
State New York
Tributaries
 - left Kunjamuk River
East Branch Sacandaga River
East Stony Creek
 - right West Branch Sacandaga River
West Stony Creek
Source Lake Pleasant
 - elevation 1,726 ft (526 m)
 - coordinates 43°28′34″N 74°22′56″W / 43.47611°N 74.38222°W / 43.47611; -74.38222
Mouth Hudson River
 - elevation 545 ft (166 m)
 - coordinates 43°18′50″N 73°50′34″W / 43.31389°N 73.84278°W / 43.31389; -73.84278Coordinates: 43°18′50″N 73°50′34″W / 43.31389°N 73.84278°W / 43.31389; -73.84278

The Sacandaga River is a 64-mile-long (103 km)[1] river in the northern part of New York in the United States. Its name comes from the Native American Sa-chen-da'-ga, meaning "overflowed lands".[2]

The Sacandaga River is a tributary of the Hudson River, flowing into it across from Lake Luzerne, at the border of Saratoga County and Warren County.

River course

The Sacandaga River’s headwaters north of Great Sacandaga Lake begin in the town of Lake Pleasant. From Lake Pleasant, the river follows a short moving course or path known as the Sacandaga Outlet[3] (under New York Route 8) into Lake Pleasant. The Sacandaga River drains Lake Pleasant at a location next to the public beach in the village of Speculator. The river then follows a winding path through some wetlands and various ecosystems through the county. In Speculator, the Sacandaga River Community Park was built by local volunteers and has a number of boardwalks and pathways that follow the course of the river.[4]

Near the town boundary between Wells and Lake Pleasant, the river flows into a series of ponds. The Sacandaga River course takes a steep path flowing over a series of waterfalls including Christine Falls and Auger Falls.

The East Branch joins the trunk stream in the town of Wells. After flowing through Wells, the river enters Lake Algonquin, a manmade impoundment constructed in the 1920s to stimulate the community’s tourism industry. The East Branch goes through Johnsburg in Warren County and flows parallel to, in part, NY Route 8, passing the communities of Oregon in Johnsburg and Griffin in the town of Wells.

The Sacandaga flows out of Lake Algonquin into a hydro-electric plant and follows a course of rapids to Great Sacandaga Lake through the towns of Hope and Benson.[4] In that area, it connects with Groff Creek. Then it enters the Great Sacandaga Lake in the village of Northville, which it flows through the lake to the Conklingville Dam. Which then it enters the town of Hadley, where it ends at the Hudson River.

Tributaries

Right

Johnson Vly Stream
Shanty Brook
Dunning Creek
West Branch Sacandaga River
Groff Creek
Petes Creek
West Stony Creek
Cloutler Creek
Batcheller Creek
Gordons Creek
Daly Creek
Breen Brook

Left

Kunjamuk River
Fly Creek
Robbs Creek
Macomber Creek
East Branch Sacandaga River
Mill Creek
Coulombe Creek
Doig Creek
East Stony Creek
Beecher Creek
Sand Creek
Glasshouse Creek
Paul Creek
Allentown Creek
Bell Brook
Mink Brook
Man Shanty Brook

Dam and reservoir

The Conklingville Dam, finished in 1930, located by the west town line of Hadley, greatly expanded the width of the river, creating Great Sacandaga Lake, formerly called the Great Sacandaga Reservoir.[5]

See also

References

  1. "The National Map". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved Feb 11, 2011.
  2. Aboriginal place names of New York, By William Martin Beauchamp, page 23
  3. "ACME Mapper".
  4. 1 2 Adirondack Scenic By-Ways: Adirondack Trails and the Sacandaga River
  5. Saratoganygenweb.com: Sacandaga River and the Conklingville Dam
  • "Sacandaga River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  • Corp of Engineers: Sacandaga River at Wells, NY
  • Sacandaga.net: Great Sacandaga Lake
  • USGS.gov: Watershed Data
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