Portage+Lakes+State+Park+Turkeyfoot+Lake

Also, see Portage Lakes and Akron South Birding Drive
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Summit County
=Portage Lakes State Park= =Turkeyfoot Lake= Akron, Ohio 44319 Portage Lakes webpage Portage Lakes map Portage Lakes State Park website Portage Lakes State Park map

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Portage Lakes State Park--Turkeyfoot Lake
Coordinates: 40.9705966, -81.5431265 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Portage Lakes
The Portage Lakes are a group of reservoirs in Northeast Ohio. The name comes from an old Indian portage path which connected the Cuyahoga River flowing north to Lake Erie and the Tuscarawas River, a tributary of the Muskingum River, which flows south to the Ohio River. This proved advantageous for the Indians and early settlers as navigation from Lake Erie to the Ohio was possible with only an 8 miles portage overland. Portage Lakes State Park lies at one of the highest points of the state and on a major watershed divide in Ohio. Some water from the lakes reaches Lake Erie and some flows to the Ohio River.

In 1825 the Ohio Legislature appropriated funds for the construction of a large network of canals and reservoirs to supply water for the canal system. The Portage Lakes, a series of lakes south of Akron, were created as part of this network of water supply reservoirs. They were formed by the construction of dikes and dams to raise the water levels of some of the swamps and small lakes typical of this heavily glaciated southern part of Summit County.

The use of the Portage Lakes as a water supply for the canal system ceased in 1913 when the canal was abandoned as a means of transportation. However, during this period the rubber industry was expanding in Akron, and the demand for industrial water increased. The Portage Lakes and a portion of the canal system were used to meet the water demands for industrial development along the canal and Summit Lake. During the dry years of the early 1930s, the Portage Lakes were drawn down to such an extent that a new reservoir - Nimisila - was built to direct water from Nimisila Creek into the Portage Lakes.

The Portage Lakes are at three topographical levels. Long Lake, the lowest lake, was formed by flooding a swamp area which had a small pothole lake at its south end. North Reservoir, and the middle level, was formed by a dike flooding a flat area of land and a small pothole lake known as Hower Lake. At the highest level, and impounding the largest acreage of water - 1,192 acres, are three separate reservoirs: East, West, and Turkeyfoot. Turkeyfoot Lake is connected to West Reservoir by a channel. West Reservoir overflows into North Reservoir and is connected to East Reservoir by a channel. East Reservoir has a control structure from which water is released into a channel which flows into Long Lake. Turkeyfoot Lake: 483 surface acres - 12.6 feet average depth West Reservoir: 105 surface acres - 11.3 feet average depth East Reservoir: 208 surface acres - 14.8 feet average depth North Reservoir: 165 surface acres - 10.0 feet average depth Long Lake: 231 surface acres - 16.3 feet average depth From Portage Lakes webpage

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media type="custom" key="27822065" || L140130 US US-OH US-OH-153 40.9705966 -81.5431265 Portage Lakes State Park--Turkeyfoot Lake