﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  249 
  

  

  The 
  catchment 
  of 
  the 
  Saranac 
  river 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  628 
  square 
  

   miles, 
  about 
  one-half 
  being 
  wooded. 
  The 
  lakes 
  on 
  its 
  headwaters 
  

   have 
  a 
  water 
  surface 
  of 
  21 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  afford 
  an 
  opportunity 
  

   for 
  considerable 
  storage. 
  This 
  storage 
  could 
  be 
  largely 
  increased 
  

   at 
  comparatively 
  small 
  cost 
  for 
  construction, 
  but 
  the 
  land 
  dam- 
  

   ages 
  on 
  the 
  Saranac 
  lakes 
  would 
  be 
  considerable 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   large 
  private 
  residences 
  and 
  summer 
  hotels 
  on 
  their 
  banks. 
  

  

  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  merchantable 
  timber 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  cut 
  on 
  the 
  

   catchment 
  of 
  Saranac 
  river 
  is 
  small, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  area 
  

   owned 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  or 
  by 
  private 
  parties 
  as 
  forest 
  preserves. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  developed 
  powers 
  on 
  Saranac 
  river, 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  ones 
  being 
  at 
  Saranac 
  Lake 
  village, 
  Cadyville 
  and 
  Platts- 
  

   burg. 
  There 
  is 
  an 
  undeveloped 
  power 
  at 
  Franklin 
  Falls 
  with 
  a 
  

   possible 
  fall 
  of 
  60 
  feet. 
  

  

  Salmon 
  river 
  east. 
  This 
  river 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  Clin- 
  

   ton 
  county 
  and 
  flows 
  easterly 
  into 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  near 
  the 
  

   village 
  of 
  South 
  Plattsburg. 
  Its 
  catchment 
  area 
  is 
  480 
  square 
  

   miles. 
  

  

  Little 
  Ausable 
  river. 
  This 
  stream 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  part 
  of 
  

   Clinton 
  county 
  and 
  flows 
  northeasterly 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Lapham, 
  

   then 
  southeast, 
  entering 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  about 
  four 
  miles 
  south 
  

   of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Salmon 
  river 
  east. 
  

  

  Ausable 
  river. 
  This 
  stream 
  has 
  its 
  source 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  

   of 
  Essex 
  county 
  in 
  Upper 
  Ausable 
  lake, 
  which 
  lies 
  in 
  a 
  valley 
  in 
  

   the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  

   of 
  1993 
  feet 
  above 
  tidewater. 
  It 
  flows 
  in 
  a 
  northeasterly 
  direction 
  

   to 
  Ausable 
  Forks, 
  from 
  near 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  boundary 
  line 
  between 
  

   Clinton 
  and 
  Essex 
  counties. 
  It 
  then 
  flows 
  a 
  little 
  north 
  of 
  east, 
  

   entering 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  three 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Port 
  

   Kent. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  from 
  its 
  mouth 
  to 
  Lower 
  Ausable 
  

   lake, 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  1961 
  feet 
  above 
  tide, 
  is 
  about 
  42 
  

   miles 
  ; 
  hence 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  fall 
  of 
  1860 
  feet 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  40 
  miles. 
  

   For 
  several 
  miles 
  of 
  its 
  course 
  the 
  stream 
  flows 
  through 
  Ausable 
  

   Chasm. 
  The 
  catchment 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  519 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  partly 
  

   wooded, 
  mountainous 
  territory. 
  There 
  are 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  

  

  