The Great Sacandaga Lake (formerly the Sacandaga Reservoir) is New York States largest manmade lake situated in the Adirondack Park in northern New York in the United States. The word Sacandaga means "Land of the Waving Grass" in the local native language. The lake is located in the northern parts of Fulton County and Saratoga County near the south border of the Adirondack Park. A small part of it also extends northward into southern Hamilton County.
Like many of the other lakes in the Adirondack region of northern New York, Great Sacandaga Lake is a reservoir. The original lake was greatly enlarged by a dam on the Sacandaga River at the northeast end of the lake. The primary purpose for the creation of the reservoir was to control flooding on the Hudson River and the Sacandaga River.
Construction began in the 1920s and completed in March 1930, at a cost of $12 million. The lake has a surface area of about 41.7 square miles (108 km²) at capacity, and the length is about 29 miles (47 km). Damming the Sacandaga River had been proposed repeatedly over the late 19th century. Only after several large floods impacted downstream communities, such as the city of Albany, was there a serious and concerted effort by the state to explore flood control. A public benefit corporation was established to study the feasibility of the dam and later adopted a resolution proposing the dam in 1924. The dam was constructed by 1930 at Conklingville in the Town of Hadley, Saratoga County. Land speculation flourished as the plan to control the river and flood a large expanse of land leaked out. Many people chose to remove houses and buildings to new sites outside of the flood zone. The new body of water was called a reservoir for many years, but after the middle of the 20th Century, the term "lake" became preferred. The reservoir is managed by the Hudson River Black River Regulating District.
Today, the local businesses benefit not only from the flood protection provided by the lake, but also from the tourist attraction and its economy that the lake has created in the area. People come from many local cities and towns to visit the lake for recreation, or to stay in their summer camps on the lake. Public access to the lake is via the many public boat launches, and public beaches; plus the campgrounds that are located on the shores of the lake.
Many waters in New York State have been affected by the unintentional introduction of non-native plants and animals such as zebra mussels, Eurasian water milfoil, water chestnut and the spiny water flea. Often, when species such as these are first introduced, there is an absence of natural mechanisms such as predators or diseases to control these new organisms and so their numbers can skyrocket out of control. The new invading species may rapidly displace native species by outcompeting them for resources such as food and growing space. As a result, the entire natural balance and species composition of the aquatic system can be seriously disrupted, including the fisheries.
