Jamesville Reservoir is a beautiful lake in Central New York that was originally built to provide water to the Erie Canal.
The reservoir is home to many species of fish, birds, and animals.
The Jamesville Reservoir Preservation Association (JRPA) is a group of concerned residents who are dedicated to keeping the reservoir in its beautiful state.
JRPA is actively involved in monitoring the water quality in the reservoir and updates members with any issues that occur.
Monitoring the water quality of the reservoir is an important goal of JRPA
We also organize a July 4th celebration called the Ring of Fire where residents light flares to encircle the reservoir on Independence Day.
If you would like a flare for the Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire on July 4th 2019
Our Gallery page has photos of the reservoir and Butternut Creek and our Science page includes scientific information on this historic waterway.
Become a member of JRPA to support our efforts.
Our annual suggested dues are $25 and you can pay online using PayPal or any credit cards using the “Support JRPA” button below
Thank you for your support of the Jamesville Reservoir Preservation Association
Reports of the water quality of the reservoir are provided by NY DEC as part of the CSLAP monitoring system. JRPA is an active member of the monitoring system and every two weeks one of our members collects water samples and has them analyzed by a water quality laboratory.
The CSLAP review of the state of the reservoir in 2019 Harmful algal blooms are an issue and could be related to the increased input of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P ) from lawns and farms
Low levels of pesticides detected in the reservoir
Low levels of certain pesticides or more broadly CECs (chemicals of emerging concern) were detected in the reservoir in 2019 as part of a study by Syracuse University, Upstate Freshwater Institute, and SUNY-ESF.
Summary of the chemicals of emerging concern that were detected in Jamesville Reservoir in 2019
Scorecard of Jamesville Reservoir in 2018 The presence of harmful algal blooms impacted the swimming at the reservoir during 2018
Temperature measurements for summer 2018
Older bathymetric map from NYSDEC – the water depths in the south end of the reservoir have changed considerably
Fish
The main gamefish in the reservoir are largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, tiger musky and walleye. White perch, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill, black crappie, and yellow perch are also found in the reservoir.
Walleye (6,600 pond fingerlings) are stocked every other year in Jamesville Reservoir. Surplus were available in 2015, resulting in 7,800 stocked this year. Night-time boat electrofishing was conducted on September 30, 2015 to assess the current status of the walleye population in the reservoir as well as to attempt to assess the tiger muskellunge population.
The entire perimeter of the lake was sampled, and 67 walleye were collected, along with 1 tiger muskellunge. The catch rate of walleye was 40.6 fish per hour, a substantial improvement over the 2013 survey at 13.7 fish per hour, and 2011 at 4.7 fish per hour. Walleyes ranged in size from 7.1 to 24.4 inches and ranged in age from 0 to 9+ years. Sixty-one of the captured walleye were age 0, presumably from the spring 2015 stocking as very little natural reproduction occurs in this lake. Tiger muskellunge captured was fairly small, 10 inches, most likely representative of the approximately 1,700 tiger muskellunge stocked in late September 2015 by the DEC.
Due to summer drought conditions, and a permitted water withdrawal, the lake level dropped throughout the summer and was about 2 feet below full pool at the time of tiger musky stocking (September 22, 2015). Rain brought the lake level back up to full pool within 48 hours of the survey. No management changes are proposed as a result of this survey.
Caring for the reservoir
Protecting the water quality of the reservoir is important for everyone, whether you use the reservoir for fishing, swimming, boating, or just viewing.
Excellent ideas for protecting the reservoir and the right choices for landscaping near the water
