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Shallow Lake and Created Pond

The primary difference between a lake and pond is size and depth. Lakes tend to be quite large (> 5 acres) and deep (> 10 feet) while ponds are smaller. There are few natural lakes in the region; most have been created by placing dams in streams to create reservoirs or for aesthetic reasons. Natural lakes tend to be quite deep and clear. Smaller lakes and ponds are fairly shallow (< 10 feet deep). Due to the shallow nature of these lakes, sunlight penetrates to the bottom, resulting in conditions ideal for plant growth. Therefore, many shallow lakes are choked with vegetation.

Teatown has 2 shallow lakes, the 39-acre Teatown Lake and the 9-acre Shadow Lake, and 4 created ponds on its property. The maximum depth of these lakes is approximately 8-10 feet. Both lakes are overgrown with aquatic vegetation such as water lilies and species that growth beneath the surface such as coontail and the invasive Eurasian milfoil. Our lakes are home to a variety of fish including largemouth bass, sunfish, pike, shiner, and catfish. Snapping turtles, painted turtles, water snakes, bullfrogs, green frogs, river otter, muskrat, blue heron, green heron, and osprey can also be seen at these lakes.

Conservation Issues

As with wetlands and streams, lakes and ponds are threatened by watershed degradation. Excess phosphates, a chemical introduced in runoff through the use of soaps and fertilizers and from leaking septic systems, stimulates the growth of aquatic plants. This results in the lake becoming choked with vegetation. Once this vegetation dies, microorganisms break it down, consuming oxygen. The consumption of oxygen during the decay of the vegetation depletes oxygen in the water and can result in fish kills. Sediment can also be introduced into lakes in degraded watersheds. This sediment originates from erosion at construction sites or from streams where floodwaters erode stream banks. Over time this excess sediment can cause the lake to fill in.