Otisco Lake
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Otisco Lake is a Finger Lake in Onondaga County in central New York state. One of two in the county, it is the easternmost of the chain, and fourth smallest. The Template:Convert lake is located southwest of the city of Syracuse.
History
Otisco Lake's name may have been derived from the Iroquois name for the lake's outlet, Nine Mile Creek, Us-te-ke, meaning "bitter-nut-hickory". At least one older map, published in 1825, has the name spelled as "Ostisco".<ref name=Beauchamp_1893>Template:Cite book</ref> The name may also have been derived from the word ostickney, meaning "waters much dried away", or from the Onondaga word ostick, meaning "the water is low".<ref name=Beauchamp_1907>Template:Cite book</ref>
Prior to European settlement, the lake was used by the Onondaga people for seasonal fishing and hunting, however no permanent settlements were known to exist. After the Revolutionary War, lands surrounding Otisco Lake were given to soldiers as payment for their service in the war. The first house was erected near the head of Otisco Lake by Oliver Tuttle in 1804, in what is today the Town of Otisco.<ref name="Lake_History">Template:Cite report</ref>
In 1869, Otisco Lake was made larger with the construction of a dam near the lake's outlet, which enabled the lake to be used as a reservoir for the Erie Canal. The dam's construction raised lake levels by Template:Convert, and flooded a road at the southern end of the lake. To re-build the road, a causeway was built out of hemlock logs. The causeway was damaged by storms and allowed to deteriorate before being reconstructed in 1983.<ref name=Lake_History/>
Otisco Lake has been used as a source for public drinking water for residents in the southern and western half of Onondaga County since 1908. In 1909, lake levels were increased by an additional Template:Convert when the dam was raised to increase the lake's capacity. Today, the lake's use as a public water supply is managed by the Onondaga County Water Authority.<ref name=Lake_History/> In 2011, Otisco Lake provided Template:Convert of water per day.<ref name=OCWA>Template:Cite web</ref>
Description
Otisco Lake is approximately Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide at its widest point.<ref name=EPA>Template:Cite web</ref> The lake has an average depth of Template:Convert and reaches a maximum depth of Template:Convert.<ref name=Lake_Description>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It has a surface area of Template:Convert and can hold Template:Convert of water.<ref name=Lake_Description/> The lake's outflow enters first Onondaga Lake via Ninemile Creek and then Lake Ontario via the Seneca and Oswego rivers.
Otisco Lake is located entirely within Onondaga County and is bordered by the towns of Marcellus, Otisco, and Spafford. Its watershed covers Template:Convert of primarily rural land. Forty-two percent of the watershed is agricultural, 33% is forested and 9% is shrubland. Wetlands and open water account for approximately 13% of the watershed. Nearly half of the homes within the lake's watershed are located on or near the lake's shore.<ref name=Lake_Description/>
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Otisco Lake is affected by nonpoint source pollution from agriculture, residential land use and streambank erosion. Pollution from these sources includes pesticides and fertilizers, sedimentation from erosion and poor tillage practices, and runoff from septic systems, lawns and construction sites.<ref name=EPA/> Currently the lake is experiencing severe problems brought on by zebra mussels which were introduced to the lake water via boaters.
Recreation
The closest Finger Lake to the City of Syracuse, Otisco is a popular recreational destination in the summer. A fishing derby is held on the first day of bass season, usually around the end of the second week in June.
A county park and a public boat launch are available, and two private boat launches are located along the southeastern portion of the lake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=DEC>Template:Cite web</ref>