Kettle Lakes

Get to Know the Kettle Lakes Watershed

Kettle Lakes Watershed Map

Kettle lakes are unique areas, formed by glacial retreat and large chunks of ice deposited and partially buried in the landscape. Because of their geologic history, many kettle lakes do not have natural outlets, making them uniquely susceptible to accumulation of pollution and nutrients transported from their watersheds. These lakes are highly connected to regional groundwater, though a poorly permeable layer lines the lake bottoms, ensuring groundwater elevations are not the primary driver of lake levels as found in this document and connected research by USGS.

The Kettle Lakes Watershed represents a 19,000+ acre area in northern Cortland County and southern Onondaga County and is also known as the Tully Lakes area due to the nearby Town of Tully. While kettle lakes are present throughout the Upper Susquehanna River watershed, this region includes a high quantity of kettle lakes including several large lakes positioned in a compact area. The lakes are sought after for aesthetic and recreational purposes, and many have highly developed shorelines for relatively small bodies of water, resulting in elevated water quality concerns. Watershed groups for many of the larger lakes including the greater Cortland-Onondaga Federation of Kettle Lake Associations have been hard at work seeking to better understand water quality issues and their causes. These groups have partnered with organizations and agencies to educate residents and municipalities, develop lake management plans and begin implementing practices to improve water quality. The USC has joined in this effort to both assist in improving water quality locally, and because every practice implemented in this area also improves water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, a primary USC goal.

Please consider completing our watershed residents survey, your input will help us develop the best and most applicable learning opportunities and project ideas possible.

Project partners include: