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.\EW 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 1 inches in depth over the catchment area, but 



1 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 1.5 feet. 

 According to figures given in the Eleventh Annual Report of the 

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

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

 7.50 feet, although this large fluctuation may be possibly partly 

 due to work done by the State in cutting our 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 1, 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 proven i floods, it may 

 bo mentioned that the configuration of Cayuga outlet with rela- 

 tion to Clyde river is such thai 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 Hood How of Clyde river 



