Canonsburg Lake is a lake in Canonsburg

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. It is an artificial lake formed by the waters of Little Chartiers Creek behind a 525 feet (160 m) long and 45 feet (13.7 m) high concrete dam. The dam was built in 1943 by Alcoa

Alcoa

Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...

 to create a freshwater reservoir for the Canonsburg Forging Plant, which was considered a strategic resource during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. In 1957,Some sources claim 1958 instead of 1957. the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is the state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...

 (PFBC) acquired the 138-acre (56 ha) property from Alcoa

Alcoa

Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...

, which included the 76-acre (31 ha) surface area of the lake plus the dam and surrounding lands. The PFBC converted the body of water from an industrial reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 into a recreational lake.

Boating

Most boats on Canonsburg Lake are small craft such as canoe

Canoe

A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

s, inflatable boats, and shallow-draft, lightweight fishing boats. Restrictions limit powered boats to those that use an electric motor

Electric boat

While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...

. Diesel-powered boats are not allowed. There is a boat launch ramp on the eastern shore of the lake with a parking lot with a capacity of "at least 10 vehicles."This is the capacity the PFBC claims, but aerial photography of the parking lot suggests it is actually substantially larger than that. Only registered boats (or those with a valid launch permit issued by the Commission or PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources) are allowed on the lake.

Fishing

Recreational shore fishing

Recreational fishing

Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....

 is permitted at Canonsburg Lake under the statewide fishing regulations for Commonwealth Inland Waters, which govern fishing season

Hunting season

A hunting season is the time when it is legal to hunt and kill a particular species.In the United States, each state has primary responsibility and authority over the hunting of wildlife that resides within state boundaries. State wildlife agencies that sell hunting licenses are the best source of...

, minimum fish size, and daily catch limits for many species of fish. The PFBC stocks Canonsburg Lake with several species, including channel catfish

Channel catfish

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...

, muskellunge

Muskellunge

A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...

, tiger muskellunge

Tiger muskellunge

The tiger muskellunge is a carnivorous fish and is the usually sterile, hybrid offspring of the true muskellunge and the northern pike . It lives in freshwater and its range extends to Canada, the Northeast and the Midwest parts of the United States. It grows quickly; in one study tiger muskie...

 fingerling

Fingerling

Fingerling can refer to:*Fingerling , a character from Dutch fiction,*Fingerling potato, a small potato*Fingerling , worn like a traditional ring but constructed from fabric, vinyl, or leather....

s, and trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

. According to a survey of the lake conducted by PFBC staff in May 2000, the following species of fish were present in Canonsburg Lake, sorted here by number of specimen caught:

Fish Species	Number Collected	Size Range (inches)	Additional Comments
Gizzard shad	732	Not measured	N/A
White crappie	383	3–14	2% greater than 9 inches (22.9 cm)
Largemouth bass Largemouth bass The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...	95	4–20	51% greater than 12 inches (30.5 cm), 27% greater than 15 inches (38.1 cm)
Brown bullhead Brown bullhead The brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus, is a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead and yellow bullhead...	92	3–12	4% greater than 10 inches (25.4 cm)
Black crappie	47	3–11	N/A
Common carp Common carp The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...	38	Not measured	N/A
Bluegill Bluegill The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...	34	3–8	9% greater than 7 inches (17.8 cm)
White sucker White Sucker The White Sucker is a bottom-feeding freshwater fish inhabiting North America from Labrador in the north to Georgia and New Mexico in the south. It is a long, round-bodied fish with a dark green, grey, copper, brown, or black back and sides and a light underbelly. When fullgrown, it is between 12...	32	Not measured	N/A
Channel catfish Channel catfish Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...	23	4–24	57% greater than 16 inches (40.6 cm)
Brown trout Brown trout The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....  (hatchery)	14	Not measured	N/A
Golden shiner Golden shiner The golden shiner is a cyprinid fish native to eastern North America. It is the sole member of its genus. Much used as a bait fish, it is probably the most widely pond-cultured fish in the United States.-Description:...	10	Not measured	N/A
Pumpkinseed Pumpkinseed The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...	7	3–6	N/A
Rainbow trout Rainbow trout The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....  (hatchery)	3	Not measured	N/A
Green sunfish Green sunfish The green sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish...	1	3	N/A

The surveyors noted that the lake "contained an excellent population of largemouth bass. Quality-size bass were present in high numbers". The lake is also renowned by fishermen in southwestern Pennsylvania for its robust population of channel catfish.

Wildlife

Many species of mammal and bird live in the Canonsburg Lake habitat. It is famous for the rare kind of Herons it has in the lake area. During Bass season, several people come to fish for the bass. Other wildlife include Channel Catfish, turtles and foxes.

Maintenance problems

Due to the chronic underfunding of lake maintenance, an organization called the Canonsburg Lake Restoration & Improvement Committee formed in 2000 to raise awareness and to raise funds for Canonsburg Lake's maintenance issues. The two primary problems are the need for dam repairs and silt removal.

Dam deficiencies

The dam of Canonsburg Lake was considered deficient in several ways by a 1996 assessment by Schnabel Engineering Associates. The deficiencies included minor surface deterioration of the concrete, insufficient spillway capacity, and the lack of a low level outlet for the reservoir, among other problems. According to the PFBC, the estimated cost for repairs to the dam is $83 million, but no funding exists for this maintenance, either.

Silting problems

Like many other aging artificial lakes, Canonsburg Lake has a problem with silting raising the bed of the lake. This process has already made some parts of the lake unnavigable, and if left untreated by dredging, it may ultimately make the lake unusable by boaters. A dredging program would cost approximately $3 million, but no funding exists to implement one.