Limerick Lake
Encyclopedia
Limerick Lake is a lake
in the Trent River
and Lake Ontario
drainage basin
s in the township of Limerick
, Hastings County
, Ontario
, Canada
, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northwest of the community of St. Ola
, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) northeast of Highway 62
, and 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of the town of Bancroft
. In 1934, the building of St. Ola Dam raised the level of Big Salmon Lake by two metres. The lake was then renamed, as part of a process in Ontario to give each large lake a unique name. The original concrete dam (consisting of the dam + a sluiceway with timber logs, plus overflow weirs) was assessed in 2002 and significant cracking was found. The dam was replaced in 2004 with a new concrete dam. The waterway falls under the jurisdiction of the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority which has responsibility for furthering the conservation, development, and management of natural resources, but who's main activity is flood control.
at the southwest. There are also four unnamed creek inflows: one at the west, one at the northwest, and two at the east. The primary outflow is a channel to St. Ola Lake, which flows via Beaver Creek, the Crowe River
and the Trent River to the Bay of Quinte
on Lake Ontario at Trenton
.
, Smallmouth bass
, Yellow perch
, Rock bass
, Lake trout
, and Pumpkinseed
.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Trent River
Trent River (Ontario)
The Trent River is a river in southeastern Ontario which flows from Rice Lake to empty into the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. This river is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which leads to Georgian Bay. The river is 90 km long...
and Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s in the township of Limerick
Limerick, Ontario
Limerick is a small township in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada, near Limerick Lake. It is located 80 km north of Belleville between Madoc and Bancroft and served by Ontario Highway 62 and County Road 620. The Township is bordered by the Town of Bancroft, Township of Wollaston and the joined...
, Hastings County
Hastings County, Ontario
Hastings County is located in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is The Cheese Capital of Canada. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. The population was 125,915 in 2001 and grew to 130,474 in the 2006 Canada Census...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northwest of the community of St. Ola
St. Ola, Ontario
St. Ola is a community in Ontario....
, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) northeast of Highway 62
Highway 62 (Ontario)
King's Highway 62, commonly referred to as Highway 62, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway travels south-north from Highway 33 at Bloomfield in Prince Edward County, through Belleville, Madoc and Bancroft, to Maynooth, where it ends at a...
, and 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of the town of Bancroft
Bancroft, Ontario
Bancroft is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario.- History :In 1853 the first pioneer family settled in the area, and over the next 15 years the settlement grew quickly, as another 88 families followed...
. In 1934, the building of St. Ola Dam raised the level of Big Salmon Lake by two metres. The lake was then renamed, as part of a process in Ontario to give each large lake a unique name. The original concrete dam (consisting of the dam + a sluiceway with timber logs, plus overflow weirs) was assessed in 2002 and significant cracking was found. The dam was replaced in 2004 with a new concrete dam. The waterway falls under the jurisdiction of the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority which has responsibility for furthering the conservation, development, and management of natural resources, but who's main activity is flood control.
Hydrology
The lake is about 7.1 kilometres (4.4 mi) long and 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) wide with an area of 8.3 square kilometres (3.2 sq mi) and lies at an elevation of 313 metres (1,027 ft). The average depth is 10 metres (33 ft) and the maximum depth 35 metres (115 ft). Caverly's Bay is on the west of the southwest end of the lake. The primary inflows are Dixon Creek from Dark Lake at the northeast and Bass Creek from Steenburg LakeSteenburg Lake (Ontario)
Steenburg Lake is a lake in the Trent River and Lake Ontario drainage basins in the township of Limerick, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada, about west of Ontario Highway 62 and south of the town of Bancroft.-Hydrology:...
at the southwest. There are also four unnamed creek inflows: one at the west, one at the northwest, and two at the east. The primary outflow is a channel to St. Ola Lake, which flows via Beaver Creek, the Crowe River
Crowe River
The Crowe River is a river in the counties of Haliburton, Hastings, Northumberland and Peterborough in southern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Lake Ontario drainage basin and is a tributary of the Trent River.-Course:...
and the Trent River to the Bay of Quinte
Bay of Quinte
The Bay of Quinte is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
on Lake Ontario at Trenton
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the main population centre in Quinte West....
.
Settlements
The majority of the lake shore is accessible by boat only. Limerick Lake has just one full-year resident, but has 154 seasonal residences occupied mainly in the summer months from June to September. The named settlement Martins Landing is on the southwest shore, but is more commonly called Limerick Lake Lodge and Marina. The lodge acts as a main entry point to the lake (along with the marina at Woods Camp Ground on St Ola Lake and the public launch ramp at the dam. Currently development and sub division of lots on the lake is restricted. A controversial backlot development that has been fought over for at least 15 years in the Ontario Municipal Board is about to go ahead.Ecology
The area and shoreline are heavily forested and abundant with deer, bear, small game, and moose. The lake contains several species of fish: Largemouth bassLargemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, Smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, Yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, Rock bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
, Lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
, and Pumpkinseed
Pumpkinseed
The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...
.