Chadwick Lake is a 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...

 supplying water

Water supply

Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...

 to the Town of Newburgh

Newburgh (town), New York

Newburgh is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The 2010 census determined the population is 29,801. This is the first time ever that the population of the Town of Newburgh officially exceeded that of the adjacent but totally separate municipality known as the city of Newburgh...

, in Orange County

Orange County, New York

Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was created by dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

ming Quassaick Creek

Quassaick Creek

Quassaick Creek is an tributary of the Hudson River in Orange and Ulster counties in the U.S. state of New York. It rises in the glacial ridges west of the river, near the boundary between the towns of Plattekill and Marlborough...

 in 1926. It is located immediately to the northwest of the junction of NY 32

New York State Route 32

New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...

 and 300

New York State Route 300

New York State Route 300 is a state highway located west of the city of Newburgh in the Hudson Valley of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at a five-way intersection with NY 32 and NY 94 in the hamlet of Vails Gate...

 in the Cronomer Valley section of the town. It is open to the public, and there are recreational facilities near the southern end.

Most of the town's water is supplied today by New York City's Delaware Aqueduct

Delaware Aqueduct

The Delaware Aqueduct is the newest of the New York City aqueducts. It takes water from the Rondout Reservoir through the Chelsea Pump Station, the West Branch Reservoir, and the Kensico Reservoir, ending at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, New York....

, with the reservoir acting primarily as a backup. In the past, surplus water has been sold to private companies, and in 2006 to neighboring New Windsor

New Windsor, New York

New Windsor is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was estimated at 25,244 in 2010 by the US Census.The Town of New Windsor is in the eastern part of the county, bordering the Town of Newburgh and the City of Newburgh....

 during a water shortage there. At times it has relied exclusively on the Aqueduct since manganese

Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...

 levels in the lake give its waters a brownish tint.

Facilities near the lake's southern end, include a picnic

Picnic

In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...

 shelter, two playgrounds, fitness and walking trail

Trail

A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...

s and boating launches. A recent expansion is adding basketball courts, a skating rink

Ice rink

An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...

 and an arboretum

Arboretum

An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...

. Use is generally limited to town residents. Fishing

Angling

Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...

 is also allowed on the lake; 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...

is a common catch.

History

The dam creating Chadwick Lake was constructed by the Chadwick family in 1926 and the lake remained private property. The Bethlehem Rod and Gun Club purchased fishing rights and kept the lake stocked with fish. Admission was charged for the use of the lake, for fishing, swimming and boating, with the Chadwick family receiving 50% of the receipts, the Bethlehem Rod and Gun Club 25%, and the paid caretaker at the lake 25%. Since at least the mid 1930's the Town discussed purchasing the lake as a water supply. However, action of this nature by a Town was prohibited by New York State law until 1961, when the State legislature approved new legislation authorizing such a purchase. The Chadwick family originally requested one million dollars for the purchase of the lake and surrounding area, but after negotiations with the Town lowered its request to $850,000. The Town counteroffered $775,000 for 427 acres (1.7 km²) including the entire lake, and the Chadwick family accepted. An additional 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of adjacent land was offered by various property owners for $15,000, for a total price tag of $790,000. Town Councilman Robert DeLong, who spearheaded the movement to purchase the lake, pointed out that the tax base of the Town had increased by 1961 to finally allow such a purchase without forcing an undue burden on the Town taxpayers. He also contended that the water table in the Town had dropped to alarming levels in parts of the Town, making the purchase of the lake a priority.
Despite DeLong's arguments and despite a unanimous 5-0 vote in favor of the purchase by the Town Council, the purchase still proved to be controversial. Opponents of the purchase contended that the Town of Newburgh was still too rural to warrant a central water supply, and the $790,000 price tag was too steep. Opponents believed that by not providing municipal water, the rural nature of the Town of Newburgh could be retained indefinitely. Opponents of the purchase had obtained enough signatures to force a public referendum, and in the vote taken on February 26, 1962, the purchase was approved by a vote of only 987 to 881 with 32 void ballots.