| Sacandaga River | |
|---|---|
 The Sacandaga River when it flows into theHudson River | |
  Location of the mouth of the Sacandaga River Show map of New York Adirondack Park  Sacandaga River (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Native name | Sa-chen-da'-ga (Iroquoian languages) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Pleasant |
| • coordinates | 43°28′34″N74°22′56″W / 43.47611°N 74.38222°W /43.47611; -74.38222 |
| • elevation | 1,726 ft (526 m) |
| Mouth | Hudson River |
• coordinates | 43°18′50″N73°50′34″W / 43.31389°N 73.84278°W /43.31389; -73.84278 |
• elevation | 545 ft (166 m) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Kunjamuk River East Branch Sacandaga River East Stony Creek |
| • right | West Branch Sacandaga River West Stony Creek |
TheSacandaga River is a 64-mile-long (103 km)[1]river in the northern part ofNew York in theUnited States. Its name comes from theNative AmericanSa-chen-da'-ga, meaning "overflowed lands".[2]
The Sacandaga River is a tributary of theHudson River, flowing into it atHadley, at the border ofSaratoga andWarren counties.
The Sacandaga River's headwaters north ofGreat Sacandaga Lake begin in the town ofLake Pleasant. From Lake Pleasant, the river follows a short moving course or path known as the Sacandaga Outlet[3] (under New York Route 8) into Lake Pleasant. The Sacandaga River drains Lake Pleasant at a location next to the public beach in the village ofSpeculator. The river then follows a winding path through some wetlands and various ecosystems through the county. In Speculator, the Sacandaga River Community Park was built by local volunteers and has a number of boardwalks and pathways that follow the course of the river.[4]
Near the town boundary betweenWells and Lake Pleasant, the river flows into a series of ponds. The Sacandaga River course takes a steep path flowing over a series ofwaterfalls including Christine Falls, Austin Falls and Auger Falls.
The East Branch joins the trunk stream in the town of Wells. After flowing through Wells, the river enters Lake Algonquin, a manmadeimpoundment constructed in the 1920s to stimulate the community's tourism industry. The East Branch goes throughJohnsburg inWarren County and flows parallel to, in part,NY Route 8, passing the communities of Oregon in Johnsburg and Griffin in the town of Wells.
The Sacandaga flows out of Lake Algonquin into ahydro-electric plant and follows a course of rapids to Great Sacandaga Lake through the towns ofHope andBenson.[4] In that area, it connects withGroff Creek. Then it enters the Great Sacandaga Lake in the village ofNorthville, which it flows through the lake to theConklingville Dam. Subsequently, it enters the town ofHadley, where it ends at theHudson River. Downstream of Stewart's Dam in Hadley, recreational releases are held by Brookfield Energy, creating a two-mile Class II whitewater run to the Hudson River for local paddlers.
TheUnited States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a fewstream gauges along Sacandaga River. The one station located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) upstream from Hope, had a maximum discharge of 32,000 cubic feet (910 m3) per second on March 27, 1913, and a minimum discharge of 16 cubic feet (0.45 m3) per second on September 30, 1913.[5] Another station located 1.4 miles (2.3 km) upstream from the mouth in operation since 1907, had a maximum discharge of 35,500 cubic feet (1,010 m3) per second on March 28, 1913, and a minimum discharge of 4.2 cubic feet (0.12 m3) per second on May 4, 1985, March 30–31, and many days in April 1992. Since the construction of Great Sacandaga Lake in 1930, the maximum discharge was 16,500 cubic feet (470 m3) on May 2, 2011.[6]
Right
Johnson Vly Stream
Shanty Brook
Dunning Creek
West Branch Sacandaga River
Groff Creek
Petes Creek
West Stony Creek
Cloutler Creek
Batcheller Creek
Gordons Creek
Daly Creek
Breen Brook
Left
Kunjamuk River
Fly Creek
Robbs Creek
Macomber Creek
East Branch Sacandaga River
Mill Creek
Coulombe Creek
Doig Creek
East Stony Creek
Beecher Creek
Sand Creek
Glasshouse Creek
Paul Creek
Allentown Creek
Bell Brook
Mink Brook
Man Shanty Brook
TheConklingville Dam, finished in 1930, located by the west town line ofHadley, greatly expanded the width of the river, creatingGreat Sacandaga Lake, formerly called the Great Sacandaga Reservoir.[7]
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