Lake Wallenpaupack
Encyclopedia
Lake Wallenpaupack is a reservoir
in Pennsylvania
, USA
. It was created in 1926 by PPL
, the Pennsylvania Power & Light Company, for hydroelectric purposes. It is located near Hawley
, on the border of Pike
and Wayne
counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Lenape
Indians named the area "Wallenpaupack" which means "The Stream of Swift and Slow Water." William Penn
later owned the land and then deeded it to his son, who then gave it to James Wilson
, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
.
In order to create the lake, the dam was constructed on Wallenpaupack Creek
at Wilsonville
. The land of Wilsonville and the surrounding area in the valley was purchased by PPL from about 100 owners at about $20 an acre and most of the property was razed or moved. Some houses remained, and as the valley was flooded the water was so clear that you could see the houses under the water. Seventeen miles of roads and telephone poles were rerouted, and one cemetery had to be relocated. The former town of Wilsonville now lies under the water near the dam.
Lake Wallenpaupack is a center of recreation for the surrounding communities, providing boating, swimming, and fishing access in the summertime, as well as ice skating and ice fishing in the winter. Pocono Fishing Adventures is one of the many commercially authorized guides on its waters. Its wooded shoreline also provides opportunities for hiking and viewing wildlife. Lake fish include smallmouth bass
, largemouth bass
, rock bass
, bluegill
, walleye
, muskellunge
, northern pike
, pickerel
, rainbow trout
, brown trout
, lake trout
, catfish
and yellow perch
. Striped bass
and hybrid striped bass
have been stocked in the lake. The lake is 13 miles (20.9 km) long, has 52 miles (83.7 km) of shoreline, and is about 60 feet (18.3 m) deep at its maximum depth.
related to agricultural runoff, and an invasion of purple loosestrife
along the shores. The lake is used as an educational resource to teach ecology to students of the Wallenpaupack Area School District
, in a curriculum that has been described as innovative.
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 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was created in 1926 by PPL
PPL (utility)
PPL, formerly known as PP&L or Pennsylvania Power and Light, is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. It currently controls about 19,000 megawatts of electrical generating capacity in the United States, primarily in Pennsylvania and Montana, and delivers electricity to...
, the Pennsylvania Power & Light Company, for hydroelectric purposes. It is located near Hawley
Hawley, Pennsylvania
Hawley is a borough in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,211 at the 2010 census.- History :The borough was named for Irad Hawley, first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. Early industry centered around the transportation and support of nearby coal mining...
, on the border of Pike
Pike County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
and Wayne
Wayne County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile . There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Indians named the area "Wallenpaupack" which means "The Stream of Swift and Slow Water." William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
later owned the land and then deeded it to his son, who then gave it to James Wilson
James Wilson
James Wilson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Wilson was elected twice to the Continental Congress, and was a major force in drafting the United States Constitution...
, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
.
In order to create the lake, the dam was constructed on Wallenpaupack Creek
Wallenpaupack Creek
Wallenpaupack Creek is a tributary of the Lackawaxen River in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania in the United States.Wallenpaupack is from the Lenape language and has been interpreted as "deep, dead water" or "the stream of swift and slow water."...
at Wilsonville
Wilsonville, Pennsylvania
The land of Wilsonville, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area in the valley was purchased by PPL from about 100 owners at about $20 an acre, and all property was razed or moved in order to build a dam to create what is now Lake Wallenpaupack. Seventeen miles of roads and telephone poles were...
. The land of Wilsonville and the surrounding area in the valley was purchased by PPL from about 100 owners at about $20 an acre and most of the property was razed or moved. Some houses remained, and as the valley was flooded the water was so clear that you could see the houses under the water. Seventeen miles of roads and telephone poles were rerouted, and one cemetery had to be relocated. The former town of Wilsonville now lies under the water near the dam.
Lake Wallenpaupack is a center of recreation for the surrounding communities, providing boating, swimming, and fishing access in the summertime, as well as ice skating and ice fishing in the winter. Pocono Fishing Adventures is one of the many commercially authorized guides on its waters. Its wooded shoreline also provides opportunities for hiking and viewing wildlife. Lake fish include smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, 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...
, rock bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
, 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:...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, 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...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, 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...
, 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....
, brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
and 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...
. Striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
and hybrid striped bass
Hybrid striped bass
A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass and the white bass . It can be distinguished from the striped bass by broken rather than solid horizontal stripes on the body...
have been stocked in the lake. The lake is 13 miles (20.9 km) long, has 52 miles (83.7 km) of shoreline, and is about 60 feet (18.3 m) deep at its maximum depth.
Ecology
Lake Wallenpaupack faces a number of environmental problems, including water-quality issues from heavy boat usage, algal blooms and rapid sedimentationSedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
related to agricultural runoff, and an invasion of purple loosestrife
Purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae, native to Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and southeastern Australia. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Primulaceae...
along the shores. The lake is used as an educational resource to teach ecology to students of the Wallenpaupack Area School District
Wallenpaupack Area School District
Wallenpaupack Area School District is a school district in Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school district comprises six schools.*Wallenpaupack Area South Elementary, Newfoundland, PA...
, in a curriculum that has been described as innovative.