What is a watershed?
A watershed is the area of land that drains water into the lake via creeks, brooks, and drainage ways. It can be compared to the shape of an irregular bowl. For Skaneateles Lake, this area totals about 59 square miles. It is largely made up of agricultural and open land, but has smaller areas of residential and commercial development. One key reason why Skaneateles Lake has high quality water is that the ratio of the amount of land that drains to the lake (59 square miles) to the surface area of the lake (13.6 square miles) is relatively small compared to other lakes.
Watershed Map
An interactive version of the official Skaneateles Lake Watershed map is available. The interactive version provides layers including streams, tax parcels, and the watershed boundary - and allows users to zoom in to identify watercourses and neighboring lot tax map numbers. Click on the button below to access the interactive map.
Click to view the official Skaneateles Lake watershed map in larger pdf format.