The name Skaneateles means "long lake" in one of the local Iroquoian languages. The lake is sometimes referred to as "The Roof Garden of the Lakes" because its altitude (863 ft) is higher than the other Finger Lakes.
The relationship between the relatively small watershed and the large volume of water in Skaneateles Lake provides a kind of natural protection to Skaneateles Lake that few other lakes enjoy. The watershed is only 59 square miles, and the lake has a surface area of 13.6 square miles, for a ratio of 4.3 acres of watershed to each acre of lake. In contrast, Oneida Lake has about 17.3 acres of watershed/acre of lake surface and Cayuga Lake has 12.2 acres of watershed/acre of lake surface. This helps to account for the long retention time of about 18 years in Skaneateles Lake.
Scientifically, Skaneateles Lake is classified as 'oligotrophic', or a lake with low productivity due to low levels of nutrients. This helps keep algae and other aquatic vegetation to a minimum. It also helps keeps the water so clear and transparent.
Being some 16 miles long, averaging about ¾ miles wide, and nearly 300 feet deep, Skaneateles Lake is home to 413 billion gallons of pure water! The City of Syracuse, which draws unfiltered drinking water from the Lake, spends over 2 million dollars a year to protect lake quality, inspecting each of the 2600 properties in the watershed at least once a year.
To log this cache, you must send us a message or an email answering the following questions based on the information on the sign at the listed coordinates:
1. About how long ago did the formation of the Lake begin?
2. In which direction did the stream that was the path for the Lake's formation flow?
3. How many glacial movements were involved in the formation of the Lake?
Do NOT post the answers in your log. Logs will be deleted if we don't receive an email with the answers found at the posted coordinates before or immediately after your log is posted. (We aren't going to chase you for the answers).
Thanks to Skaneateles Lake Association, Inc for the information in this cache description.