﻿112 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  tabulation 
  is 
  mostly 
  self-explanatory, 
  and 
  attention 
  

   is 
  merely 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  footings, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  learned 
  that. 
  the 
  

   total 
  area 
  of 
  water 
  surface 
  is 
  approximately 
  310 
  square 
  miles; 
  

   the 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  flats 
  and 
  marsh, 
  221 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  

   of 
  water 
  surface 
  flats 
  and 
  marsh, 
  530 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  Dividing 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  water 
  surface, 
  flats 
  and 
  marsh 
  by 
  

   5002, 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  catchment 
  basin, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  

   of 
  water 
  surface, 
  flats 
  and 
  marsh 
  is 
  10.6 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  

   catchment. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  often 
  have 
  flood 
  runoffs 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  

   exceeding 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  depth 
  over 
  the 
  catchment 
  area, 
  but 
  

   4 
  inches 
  in 
  depth 
  over 
  the 
  Oswego 
  area 
  would 
  be 
  only 
  37.7 
  inches 
  

   on 
  the 
  pondage 
  area 
  of 
  530 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  Several 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  lakes 
  of 
  this 
  basin 
  fluctuate 
  considerably 
  

   between 
  high 
  and 
  low 
  water. 
  From 
  tabulations 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  

   Report 
  of 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Public 
  Works 
  it 
  is 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  

   fluctuation 
  of 
  Skaneateles 
  lake, 
  which 
  is 
  drawn 
  upon 
  as 
  a 
  canal 
  

   reservoir, 
  is 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  5 
  feet, 
  and 
  of 
  Otisco 
  lake, 
  about 
  4 
  . 
  5 
  feet. 
  

   According 
  to 
  figures 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Eleventh 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  Board 
  of 
  Health 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  maximum 
  

   fluctuation 
  of 
  Cayuga 
  lake 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  has 
  been 
  

   7.56 
  feet, 
  although 
  this 
  large 
  fluctuation 
  may 
  be 
  possibly 
  partly 
  

   due 
  to 
  work 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  in 
  cutting 
  out 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  

   Seneca 
  river 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  draining 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  marsh. 
  

   Ordinarily 
  the 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  Cayuga 
  lake 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  between 
  

   2 
  and 
  3 
  feet. 
  From 
  March 
  4, 
  1887, 
  to 
  December 
  2 
  of 
  that 
  year, 
  

   the 
  lake 
  fell 
  2.93 
  feet, 
  and 
  from 
  March, 
  1889, 
  to 
  December 
  of 
  that 
  

   year, 
  the 
  fluctuation 
  was 
  2.3 
  feet. 
  The 
  figures 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  hand 
  

   giving 
  the 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  Canandaigua, 
  Keuka, 
  Seneca 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  large 
  lakes 
  of 
  this 
  catchment, 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  certainly 
  

   assumed 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  vary 
  greatly 
  from 
  the 
  preceding 
  figures 
  

   of 
  Skaneateles, 
  Otisco 
  and 
  Cayuga 
  lakes. 
  By 
  way 
  of 
  illustrating 
  

   how 
  these 
  great 
  natural 
  reservoirs 
  tend 
  to 
  prevent 
  floods, 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  the 
  configuration 
  of 
  Cayuga 
  outlet 
  with 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  Clyde 
  river 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  frequently, 
  when 
  there 
  are 
  heavy 
  

   rainfalls 
  in 
  the 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  Clyde 
  river, 
  Cayuga 
  lake 
  being 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  at 
  a 
  low 
  level, 
  the 
  entire 
  flood 
  flow 
  of 
  Clyde 
  river 
  

  

  