Merrill Creek Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Located in central Warren County
, New Jersey
, Merrill Creek Reservoir is a 650 acre (2.6 km²) artificial lake that is surrounded by 290 acres (1.2 km²) of protected woodland and fields. These lands are themselves part of 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of open spaces. Merrill Creek is connected to the Delaware River
, about three miles away, by an underground tunnel. The reservoir was built by a consortium of seven electric utilities under mandate of the Delaware River Basin Commission to replace river water lost through evaporation in the cooling of 14 power plants. The owners, known as the Merrill Creek Owners Group, are Public Service Electric and Gas, which built the reservoir for the group; Jersey Central Power and Light, Atlantic Electric, Metropolitan Edison, Philadelphia Electric (a subsidiary of Pennsylvania Power and Light) and Delmarva Power and Light.
The reservoir will draw water from the Delaware in springtime, when river flow normally is abundant, and restore it in the summer, when the flow is usually meager and - compounding the problem - demand for electricity for air-conditioning is high. In addition, by maintaining an ample Delaware River flow, seawater intrusion into the aquifers that provide drinking water to many South Jersey communities, including Camden
, will be minimized. Construction cost $217 million and was one of the largest construction projects in the United States in 1986-87. The entire site was cleared of dense forest by huge tree-eating machines, and construction crews worked two 12-hour shifts to build a large earth dam and two dikes.
Launching facilities are provided for recreational boating, but no gasoline motors are allowed. The reservoir and surrounding parkland offer visitors an opportunity to engage in outdoor activity. Some of the abundant wildlife around the lake includes bald eagles, crows, white-tailed deer
, turkey
, and other various migratory birds. The reservoir is best known for its brown trout
fishing. Other fish in the reservoir include walleye
, yellow perch
, small and largemouth bass
, chain pickerel
, crappie
, catfish
, sunfish
, carp
, rainbow trout
, brook trout
and lake trout
.
The lake is about two hundred thirty five feet deep which allows for lake trout to exist and other trout to exist year round. This is one of two lakes in New Jersey where lake trout exist. The other is Round Valley Reservoir in Hunterdon County.
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Merrill Creek Reservoir is a 650 acre (2.6 km²) artificial lake that is surrounded by 290 acres (1.2 km²) of protected woodland and fields. These lands are themselves part of 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of open spaces. Merrill Creek is connected to the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
, about three miles away, by an underground tunnel. The reservoir was built by a consortium of seven electric utilities under mandate of the Delaware River Basin Commission to replace river water lost through evaporation in the cooling of 14 power plants. The owners, known as the Merrill Creek Owners Group, are Public Service Electric and Gas, which built the reservoir for the group; Jersey Central Power and Light, Atlantic Electric, Metropolitan Edison, Philadelphia Electric (a subsidiary of Pennsylvania Power and Light) and Delmarva Power and Light.
The reservoir will draw water from the Delaware in springtime, when river flow normally is abundant, and restore it in the summer, when the flow is usually meager and - compounding the problem - demand for electricity for air-conditioning is high. In addition, by maintaining an ample Delaware River flow, seawater intrusion into the aquifers that provide drinking water to many South Jersey communities, including Camden
Camden
- Australia :* Camden, New South Wales** Camden Council ** Electoral district of Camden- England :* London Borough of Camden** Camden Town, an area in the borough* Camden School for Girls- United States :* Camden, Alabama* Camden, Arkansas...
, will be minimized. Construction cost $217 million and was one of the largest construction projects in the United States in 1986-87. The entire site was cleared of dense forest by huge tree-eating machines, and construction crews worked two 12-hour shifts to build a large earth dam and two dikes.
Launching facilities are provided for recreational boating, but no gasoline motors are allowed. The reservoir and surrounding parkland offer visitors an opportunity to engage in outdoor activity. Some of the abundant wildlife around the lake includes bald eagles, crows, white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and other various migratory birds. The reservoir is best known for its brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
fishing. Other fish in the reservoir include walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, 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...
, small and largemouth bass
Largemouth 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...
, chain pickerel
Chain pickerel
The chain pickerel, Esox niger , is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the american pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pikes.-Range:...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
and 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...
.
The lake is about two hundred thirty five feet deep which allows for lake trout to exist and other trout to exist year round. This is one of two lakes in New Jersey where lake trout exist. The other is Round Valley Reservoir in Hunterdon County.