Farrington Lake is a scenic freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 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...

 in Middlesex County, New Jersey

Middlesex County, New Jersey

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...

 near Milltown, New Jersey

Milltown, New Jersey

Milltown is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,893.Milltown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 29, 1889, from portions of North Brunswick Township, based on the...

. Created by a dam on the Lawrence Brook

Lawrence Brook

Lawrence Brook is a tributary of the Raritan River. Its entire course is in Middlesex County, New Jersey in the United States.-Course:Originally a stream, its course now includes man-made lakes created by dams built in the 19th and 20th centuries: Deans Pond , Davidsons Mill Pond , Farrington Lake...

, a tributary of the Raritan River

Raritan River

The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...

, the lake is in fact a widened section of the Lawrence Brook

Lawrence Brook

Lawrence Brook is a tributary of the Raritan River. Its entire course is in Middlesex County, New Jersey in the United States.-Course:Originally a stream, its course now includes man-made lakes created by dams built in the 19th and 20th centuries: Deans Pond , Davidsons Mill Pond , Farrington Lake...

. Its main tributaries are the Ireland Brook, the Beaverdam Brook, and the Oakeys Brook.

The lake is named after Edward Farrington, mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...

, in 1915–1918, who envisioned the construction of the dam to supply water to his city. Mayor Farrington died while in office, in 1918.

The lake is bordered by East Brunswick, North Brunswick and South Brunswick. It covers about 1.17 km² (290 acres) and has a mean depth of 2 meters (6 ft) with a maximum depth of 4 meters (12 ft). The lake is accessible from a boat ramp; the only powered boats allowed are those with an electric motor.

Fish species in the lake include Chain Pickerel

Chain pickerel

The chain pickerel, Esox niger , is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the american pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pikes.-Range:...

, 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...

, 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...

, Northern Pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

, Crappie

Crappie

Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

, Pickerel

Pickerel

Pickerel may refer to:*Esox, the genus of fish commonly known as the pickerels which includes pike and muskellunge as well as other pickerel*American pickerel*Chain pickerel*Walleye, or Yellow Pickerel * Pickerel Frog...

, Brown Trout

Brown trout

The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....

, Yellow Perch

Yellow perch

The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...

 and 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....

.

The most spectacular view of the dam is after rainy days, when water cascades down its monumental steps.

External links

• The Scenic Lawrence Brook (pictures)
• Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership - LBWP (watershed association)