Lake Galena (Pennsylvania)

Lake Galena
Location New Britain Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, US
Coordinates 40°18′54″N 75°12′17″W / 40.31500°N 75.20472°W / 40.31500; -75.20472Coordinates: 40°18′54″N 75°12′17″W / 40.31500°N 75.20472°W / 40.31500; -75.20472
Type Reservoir
Primary inflows Neshaminy Creek
Primary outflows Neshaminy Creek
Catchment area 9,922 acres (40.2 km2)
Basin countries United States
Max. length 1.78 miles
Max. width 0.44 miles
Surface area 365 acres (1.5 km2)
Average depth 15 feet
Max. depth 42 feet
Water volume 55,128 acre-feet
Surface elevation 321 ft (97.8 m)

Lake Galena is a reservoir in Peace Valley Park, Pennsylvania, in the United States, created in 1974[1] by the damming of the north branch of the Neshaminy Creek.

History and Hydrology

Lake Galena in its current form was created when the county (Bucks) flooded the lake in 1972. Before that time, much of the lakebed had been part of the village of Leven, the economy of which was based largely on lead ore (galena) mining.[2] Mining of galena (in addition to small amounts of zinc, silver, copper and gold[2]) had been mildly successful since the property was purchased in 1861.

A marker was erected in 1998 to commemorate the area's history.[2]

The lake is supplemented by water from the Delaware River Point Pleasant Diversion Project for the purpose of augmenting public drinking water supplies for approximately 150,000 people.[1] The water supply intake is downstream of the dam at the confluence of Pine Creek and North Branch Neshaminy Creek.[1]

Peace Valley Park

Main article: Peace Valley Park

Lake Galena is surrounded on all sides by Peace Valley Park. The park has a number of trails around the perimeter for walkers, cyclists and riders. Other activities include canoeing, fishing, and sailing. The distance around the lake is approximately 6 miles (9.65 km), and an annual "Friends of the Dove" 10K race is held at the lake every fall.

Pop Culture

In 2011, Doylestown band Balance and Composure released a song titled "Galena" on their album "Separation", which is in honor of a friend who died the year prior in a car accident.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.