Mansfield Hollow Lake

Mansfield Hollow Lake
File:USACE Mansfield Hollow Lake.jpg Aerial view. Windham Airport can be seen at the right.
Location	Mansfield / Windham, Connecticut
Coordinates
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Natchaug River, Fenton River, Mount Hope River
Primary outflows	Natchaug River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	440 acres (180 ha)
Max. depth	23 ft (7.0 m)
Water volume	2,260,000,000 cu ft (0.064 km3)
Surface elevation	256 ft (78 m)
Settlements	Mansfield and Willimantic
References

Mansfield Hollow Dam
Official name	Mansfield Hollow Dam
Location	Mansfield and Windham, Connecticut
Construction began	1949
Opening date	1952
Operator(s)	Army Corps of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Natchaug River
Height	68 ft (21 m)
Length	12,420 ft (3,790 m)
Width (crest)	15 ft (4.6 m)
Width (base)	265 ft (81 m)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Naubesatuck

Mansfield Hollow Lake is a reservoir resting on the border of Windham County and Tolland County, Connecticut. It was created by the Mansfield Hollow Dam and is entirely contained within Mansfield Hollow State Park and the Mansfield Hollow Wildlife Area. Designed and constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, this dam substantially reduces flooding along the Quinebaug, Shetucket, and Thames rivers. Construction of the project began in 1949 with completion in 1952 at a cost of US$6.5 million. The Mansfield Hollow reservoir is located within the Shetucket River Watershed and is part of the Thames River Basin. Access to the site is available from US Route 6 and State Route 195. The damsite, covering an area of 25 acres (10 ha), was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Description

The project consists of a rolled earth fill dam with stone slope protection 12,420 feet (3,790 m) long and 68 feet (21 m) high. The spillway comprises a concrete weir 690 ft (210 m) in length. The weir's crest elevation is 16 feet (4.9 m) lower than the top of the dam. The permanent lake at Mansfield Hollow Dam, Naubesatuck Lake is 450 acres (1.8 km²) in size. The flood storage area for the entire project covers about 1,880 acres (7.6 km²) in the towns of Mansfield, Windham, and Chaplin, Connecticut. The entire project, including all associated lands, covers 2,472 acres (10.00 km²). The Mansfield Hollow Dam can store up to 16.1 billion US gallons (61,000,000 m³) of water for flood control purposes. This is equivalent to 5.8 inches (150 mm) of water runoff from its drainage area of 159 square miles (410 km²).

Recreation

Mansfield Hollow State Park is located on Bassett Bridge Road in the town of Mansfield. The park offers boating (8 mph limit), fishing, a shaded picnic area and many miles of hiking, mountain biking and cross-country ski trails. A boat launch is located on Bassett Bridge Road in the town of Mansfield, 1/2 mile east of the state park entrance. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. There is no entrance fee. This area is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Mansfield Hollow Dam is located on Mansfield Hollow Road in the town of Mansfield. Visitors can picnic on the lawn both downstream of the dam and on the lake side of the dam. The top of the dam is popular for walking, jogging, and biking. The west half of the dam is approx. 1-mile (1.6 km) long, the east half is almost 2 miles (3.2 km) long. Parking is available at the State Park, Damsite, Commuter Parking Lot on US Route 6, and athletic field parking lot on State Route 89. The dam runs alongside Windham Airport.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Tolland County, Connecticut
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Connecticut

External links

• Mansfield Hollow Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Mansfield Hollow State Park Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection