Conklingville Dam: Layers of Exploration

The Hudson River – Black River Regulating District has an important and challenging mission: to control flow on the Sacandaga River. With its 1,044-square mile watershed, the Sacandaga is one of the principal tributaries to the Hudson River. When cities along the Hudson River flooded during events like the Great Flood of 1913, the Sacandaga River played its part. The Conklingville Dam was devised in the 1920s to control runoff and provide hydropower. When completed in 1930, it formed the largest man-made reservoir in New York State, the Sacandaga Reservoir. Recreation was added to the list of project benefits in the 1960s, when Sacandaga Reservoir was renamed the Great Sacandaga Lake and the region was promoted for tourism. Nowadays, the area is a summer playground. Vacation homes dot the lake’s 66 miles of shoreline, and countless boats cruise about on the vast 42 square miles of surface area. The Sacandaga River downstream of the dam is augmented by releases on a regular schedule, making it popular with thrill seekers in whitewater rafts, kayaks and inner tubes.