Lake Characteristics

New York is one of the most water-rich states in the US with over 8,000 waterbodies!

Use the toolbar or these buttons to learn more about each of our namesake lakes.

A watershed is an area of land that collects and transports water into another body of water. Water that comes into contact with land through rainfall or snow drains into fluvial (or flowing water) systems such as streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs or infiltrates and collects underneath the surface as ground water. Watersheds are sometimes called catchments or drainage basins, since all the water that is collected there, and eventually is transported out of the area through surface water or groundwater movements. Watershed boundaries can be determined by natural features (like mountains or valleys) and we map these boundaries through a process called delineation.

Watersheds can be small or big, depending on the system and topography of the region. Within the state of New York there are 3 major watersheds that also span across a portion of our nation including the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic Ocean, and Ohio River. Within each of these very large watersheds are smaller ones that are specific to certain lakes and rivers. New York contains portions of the watersheds for 2 of the Great Lakes including Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Lake Ontario watershed is quite expansive; the lake receives water from the Genesee River, Oswego River, and Black River (not to mention many other small tributaries along the shore).

Both Oneida Lake and Onondaga Lake lie within the Oswego River/Finger Lakes watershed, which is one of the largest in the state at 5,070 square miles. For perspective, this watershed is about the size of the state of Connecticut! Oneida and Onondaga Lakes are both important parts of the greater Lake Ontario watershed, learn more how these lakes have impacted their local communities and fit into the Lake Ontario watershed by clicking on the links above!

For more information on watersheds, check out these links...

• Department of Environmental Conservation - Watersheds

• United States Geological Survey - Watershed Boundary Dataset