Canandaigua Lake Watershed Facts:
Lake Length: 15. 5 miles
Average Width: 1.1 miles
Maximum Depth: 276 feet
Mean Lake Surface Elevation: 688 feet
Volume: 433 billion gallons
Hydraulic Retention Time: 13.4 years
DEC Water Quality Classification: AA, TS
Water Level Control: Canandaigua Outlet and Feeder Canal- 35 cfs/day
Shoreline Length: 36 miles (97% privately owned)
Subwatersheds: 34
Estimated Total Length of Tributaries: 350 miles
Watershed Land Cover: Forested (42%), Agriculture (30%), Residential/Commercial (10%), Wetlands (5%)
Highest Point in Watershed: Gannett Hill (2,256 feet above mean sea level)
Major Municipalities within Watershed: 12
Water Purveyors within Watershed: 5 public- (City of Canandaigua, Palmyra, Newark, Gorham, Rushville) and 1 private (Bristol Harbor)
Physical Setting
Canandaigua Lake is one of the eleven Finger Lakes in New York, nestled between rolling glacial hills. As the third-largest Finger Lake by volume, it holds approximately 429 billion gallons of water, covering 10,553 acres. The lake's watershed, which drains into the lake, is over 10 times the size of the lake, totaling 109,000 acres. ​
​The lake is drained by two channels: the eastern Canandaigua Outlet, which serves as the main flood control channel, and the western Feeder Canal, constructed in the early 1900s to carry treated wastewater. Both channels are regulated by the City of Canandaigua. The Feeder Canal has a flow requirement of 35 cubic feet per second for permit purposes.
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Water enters the lake primarily via major tributaries, including West River/Naples Creek, Menteth Gully, Seneca Point Creek, and others. In total, over a hundred smaller tributaries feed directly into the lake, divided into 34 subwatersheds and drainage basins.
Land Use
Canandaigua Lake has many different human dominated land uses and natural land cover within its watershed boundaries. Land cover, as categorized by Dr. Bruce Gilman and the Watershed Council, includes forest (41%), agriculture (27%), old field/shrub land (16%), residential (8%), wetlands (5%), and commercial (1%). Forests are mostly found on steeper slopes, helping to reduce runoff and erosion, though they are primarily second- or third-growth with little old-growth remaining.
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Agriculture is mainly concentrated along the north and east sides, with more land being used for row crops like corn and soybeans. Residential development is focused in the City of Canandaigua, surrounding villages, and along the lake’s shoreline, contributing to suburban sprawl. This includes the conversion of summer cottages into year-round homes and the redevelopment of existing properties.
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Wetlands, essential for water quality, make up about 5% of the watershed but have significantly decreased due to development and agriculture. The Hi Tor marshes at the lake’s southern end are a critical resource, while wetlands at the north end were lost to early 20th-century development.
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Commercial and industrial development occupies less than 1% of the watershed, primarily in the City of Canandaigua and the Village of Naples. While limited, these areas still pose environmental risks if not properly managed.