Lake Oscawana
United States · Americas
About
Lake Oscawana is a body of water located in Putnam Valley, New York, United States.
The 386-acre (1.6 km2) lake has a depth that ranges from 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) at its deepest. The lake is fed by a stream from its north end and it drains out into Oscawana Creek at the middle of its southeastern shore. It is located between two hill ranges. Oscawana Creek merges into Peekskill Hollow Creek near the intersection of Peekskill Hollow Road and Oscawana Lake Road in Putnam Valley the hamlet of Lake Peekskill.
The lake has a number of houses around its edges, several rock formations in the center of the lake, and small islands accessible by kayak or canoe. Lake Oscawana provides summer recreation, and some local residents use the lake for boating, swimming, and fishing from the lake's several private beaches.
It features a variety of wildlife including fish, Canada geese, water snakes, turtles, and an occasional stork. In the summer it is cleaned regularly by an aquatic weed harvester; however, as of 2020 the harvester was in disrepair, causing growth of invasive weeds. Since then, the lake community has addressed mounting issues of cyanobacteria blooms and filamentous algae using grass carp and aquatic herbicides. In the winter, the lake freezes over and allows for ice skating and ice fishing. There are reports of people falling through the ice in warmer winters.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.