The Sacandaga River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in the northern part of New York in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Its name comes from the Native American ''Sa-chen-da'-ga'', meaning "overflowed lands". The Sacandaga River is a tributary of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

, flowing into it at Hadley, at the border of

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...

and

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

River course

The Sacandaga River's headwaters north of

Great Sacandaga Lake The Great Sacandaga Lake (formerly the Sacandaga Reservoir) is a large lake situated in the Adirondack Park in northern New York in the United States. The lake has a surface area of about at capacity, and the length is about . The word ''Sacanda ...

begin in the town of Lake Pleasant. From Lake Pleasant, the river follows a short moving course or path known as the Sacandaga Outlet (under New York Route 8) into Lake Pleasant. The Sacandaga River drains Lake Pleasant at a location next to the public beach in the village of Speculator. The river then follows a winding path through some wetlands and various ecosystems through the county. In Speculator, the Sacandaga River Community Park was built by local volunteers and has a number of boardwalks and pathways that follow the course of the river.Adirondack Scenic By-Ways: ''Adirondack Trails and the Sacandaga River''
/ref> Near the town boundary between Wells and Lake Pleasant, the river flows into a series of ponds. The Sacandaga River course takes a steep path flowing over a series of

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

including Christine Falls, Austin Falls and Auger Falls. The East Branch joins the trunk stream in the town of Wells. After flowing through Wells, the river enters Lake Algonquin, a manmade impoundment constructed in the 1920s to stimulate the community's tourism industry. The East Branch goes through Johnsburg in

and flows parallel to, in part, NY Route 8, passing the communities of Oregon in Johnsburg and Griffin in the town of Wells. Marty Plante - Sacandaga River - Apr 2015r

Marty Plante - Sacandaga River - Apr 2015r

The Sacandaga flows out of Lake Algonquin into a

hydro-electric plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

and follows a course of rapids to Great Sacandaga Lake through the towns of Hope and Benson. In that area, it connects with Groff Creek. Then it enters the Great Sacandaga Lake in the village of Northville, which it flows through the lake to the Conklingville Dam. Which then it enters the town of Hadley, where it ends at the

. Downstream of Stewart's Dam in Hadley, recreational releases are held by Brookfield Energy, creating a two-mile Class II whitewater run to the Hudson River for local paddlers.

Hydrology

The

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) maintains a few stream gauges along Sacandaga River. The one station located upstream from Hope, had a maximum discharge of per second on March 27, 1913, and a minimum discharge of per second on September 30, 1913. Another station located upstream from the mouth in operation since 1907, had a maximum discharge of per second on March 28, 1913, and a minimum discharge of per second on May 4, 1985, March 30–31, and many days in April 1992. Since the construction of Great Sacandaga Lake in 1930, the maximum discharge was on May 2, 2011.

Tributaries

Right Johnson Vly Stream

Shanty Brook The Shanty Brook flows into the Sacandaga River east of Speculator, New York Speculator is a village in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 406 at the 2020 census. The Speculator Mountain rises just south of the village ...

Dunning Creek Dunning Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Raystown Branch Juniata River in south west/south central Pennsylvania in the United St ...

West Branch Sacandaga River
Groff Creek
Petes Creek

West Stony Creek The West Stony Creek flows into the Sacandaga River The Sacandaga River is a river in the northern part of New York in the United States. Its name comes from the Native American ''Sa-chen-da'-ga'', meaning "overflowed lands". The Sacandaga ...

Cloutler Creek
Batcheller Creek
Gordons Creek
Daly Creek
Breen Brook Left

Kunjamuk River The Kunjamuk River flows into the Sacandaga River in Speculator, New York Speculator is a village in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 406 at the 2020 census. The Speculator Mountain rises just south of the village. ...

Fly Creek
Robbs Creek
Macomber Creek
East Branch Sacandaga River
Mill Creek
Coulombe Creek
Doig Creek

East Stony Creek East Stony Creek is a river in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. It begins at Lizard Pond and flows into the Sacandaga River The Sacandaga River is a river in the northern part of New York in the United States. Its name comes from the N ...

Beecher Creek
Sand Creek
Glasshouse Creek

Paul Creek Paul Creek flows into the Sacandaga River in Day Center, New York. References

Rivers of New York (state) Tributaries of the Sacandaga River {{NewYork-river-stub ...

Allentown Creek
Bell Brook

Mink Brook Mink Brook is a stream in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. Mink Brook lies entirely in the town of Hanover. It rises on the western slopes of Moose Mountain ...

Man Shanty Brook

Dam and reservoir

The Conklingville Dam, finished in 1930, located by the west town line of Hadley, greatly expanded the width of the river, creating

, formerly called the Great Sacandaga Reservoir.Saratoganygenweb.com: ''Sacandaga River and the Conklingville Dam''
/ref>

References

Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York: ''SACANDAGA RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN''

External links

*
Corps of Engineers: Sacandaga River at Wells, NY

Sacandaga.net: Great Sacandaga Lake

USGS.gov: ''Watershed Data''
{{authority control Adirondacks Rivers of New York (state) Tributaries of the Hudson River Rivers of Saratoga County, New York