Lake Saltonstall is a long narrow lake located in south-central Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. It covers an area of approximately 0.66 square miles (1.7 km²) and is nestled in the center of the trap rock

Trap rock

Trap rock is a form of igneous rock that tends to form polygonal vertical fractures, most typically hexagonal, but also four to eight sided. The fracture pattern forms when magma of suitable chemical composition intrudes as a sill or extrudes as a thick lava flow, and slowly cools.Because of the...

 Saltonstall Mountain

Saltonstall Mountain

Saltonstall Mountain, also known as Saltonstall Ridge, with a high point of above sea level, is a traprock mountain ridge located east of New Haven, Connecticut and north of Long Island Sound. It is part of the Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut,...

. The lake is surrounded by forest and serves as part of the local water supply for surrounding towns.

The lake and the area around it is owned by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority

South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority is a public water supply utility in Connecticut, United States.The Authority supplies water in a 15-town region with a population of about 400,000. Historically it was the water supplier in the towns of Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, East Haven,...

, a company which also regulates fishing and rents boats. Private boats are not allowed.

Interstate 95

Interstate 95 in Connecticut

Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...

 runs across the southern edge of the lake, connecting the towns of East Haven, Connecticut

East Haven, Connecticut

East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...

 and Branford, Connecticut

Branford, Connecticut

-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...

.

Lake Saltonstall's maximum depth does not exceed 113 feet (34.4 m) and its mean depth is 41 feet (12.5 m).