Washington Park Lake

Washington Park Lake is a body of water in Albany, New York located in the southwestern corner of Washington Park. It has a surface area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m²) and a mean depth of 6.6 feet (2.0 m). The deepest sections of the lake are just over 11 feet (3.4 m) deep.^[1] The lake is roughly 1,600 feet (490 m) long and 140 feet (43 m) wide. ^[2][3] Next to the lake is the Washington Park Lakehouse and an amphitheater where the Park Playhouse performs musicals in the summer. A wrought-iron pedestrian bridge spans the lake at its narrowest point. The footbridge over Washington Park Lake is the only remaining original structure in Washington Park. Erected over the lake in 1875 the lamps on the bridge were originally gas burning but were electrified in 1881.^[4] Ice skating is permitted on Washington Park Lake, though swimming is prohibited.^[5]

Washington Park Lake
Washington Park lake looking north towards the pedestrian bridge.
Washington Park Lake
Location	Albany, New York
Coordinates	42°39′26″N 73°46′23″W / 42.657302°N 73.773118°W / 42.657302; -73.773118
Type	Artificial
Managing agency	City of Albany
Built	1873
Max. length	1,600 ft (490 m)
Max. width	140 ft (43 m)
Surface area	5.2 acres (21,000 m^2)
Average depth	6.6 ft (2.0 m)
Max. depth	11 ft (3.4 m)
Water volume	1,588,400 ft³ (44,978.5 m³)

History

In 1986 after years of the lake being two to three feet below its normal depth the city repaired cracks and leaks in a concrete spillway.^[6] After the lake continued to be approximately one foot below normal level, the next year another leak was found where a 70-foot-tall (21 m) beech tree had grown on top of a 19th-century brick sewer pipe that was along the southern shore of the lake. The break in the 5-foot-tall (1.5 m) sewer pipe created a sinkhole that allowed water from the lake to flow into the sewer.^[7] The same pipe caused more problems in 1995 and more repairs occurred.^[8]

In 1991 two days after copper sulfate was applied to the lake to kill algae a fish kill occurred due to a lack of oxygen in the water. Hundreds of fish died with many experiencing hypoxic conditions near the surface. The city hooked up a 200-foot (61 m) pipe to two compressors that pumped oxygen into the lake similar to an aerator in an aquarium. This raised oxygen levels quickly and fish returned to their normal behavior.^[9]

 

Washington Park Lake House, site of the Park Playhouse

 

Washington Park Lake Bridge during Capital Holiday Lights

References

1. "Washington Park Lake" (PDF). New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
2. Arthur James Weise (1884). The History of the City of Albany, New York. E.H. Bender. p. 482. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
3. William S. Egerton (1892). The Public Parks of the City of Albany, N.Y. Weed, Parsons & Co. Retrieved 2010-06-05. the public parks of the city of albany.
4. Diana S. Waite, ed. (1993). Albany Architecture. Matthew Bender IV-Mount Ida Press. p. 155. ISBN 0-9625368-1-4.
5. (PDF). City of Albany. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
6. Carol DeMare (April 9, 1986). "Plugging the Leak Lake in Park Gets First Aid". Albany Times Union. p. B2. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
7. Gary Sheffer (June 16, 1987). "Albany Moves to Plug Leaks in Washington Park". Albany Knickerbocker News. p. 3A. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
8. . Albany Times Union. November 18, 1995. p. B4. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
9. Yancey Roy (June 24, 1991). . Albany Times Union. p. B2. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-06-07.