Round Valley Reservoir

40°36′50.0″N 74°49′21.7″W / 40.613889°N 74.822694°W / 40.613889; -74.822694TypeReservoirBasin countriesUnited StatesSurface areaover 2,300 acres (9.3 km²)Max. depth180 ft (55 m)Water volume55,000,000,000 US gal (0.21 km³)Surface elevation381 ft (116 m)

The Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, was formed in 1960 when the New Jersey Water Authority constructed two large dams and flooded a large valley. The reservoir is named after the naturally formed circular valley surrounded by Cushetunk Mountain. The deep valley was caused by erosion of the soft sedimentary rock. The surrounding ridges of Cushetunk Mountain endure because they were underlaid with dense and durable volcanic rock diabase that cooled slowly under the surface of the Earth. The reservoir covers what used to be a farming community, with remains of a school and a church on the lake floor among other buildings.^[1][2]

Reaching depths of 180 feet (55 m), this 2,350 acres (9.5 km²) reservoir is best known for its pristine clear blue waters. The reservoir contains 55 billion US gallons (210,000,000 m³) of water for use in central New Jersey, making it the largest in the state. Its water is distributed during times of drought via the nearby south branch of the Raritan River. The New Jersey Division of Wildlife (a department of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) claims the reservoir is the southernmost body of water that contains naturally reproducing lake trout. This is one of only two lakes in New Jersey with lake trout, the other being Merrill Creek Reservoir in Warren County. Some of the other species of fish in the lake include bass, pickerel, catfish, american eel, yellow perch, brown trout, and rainbow trout. The park also has a wilderness area for camping, swimming and SCUBA diving facilities, a boat ramp and nature hiking and biking trails. The reservoir has been called the Bermuda Triangle of New Jersey, and over 26 people have drowned there since 1971. Six of them have never been found.^[3][4]

Gallery

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  Picture of the Round Valley lake
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  Tree hanging over the edge
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  Boat Launch
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  Shoreline
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  Round Valley and Spruce Run
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  Shoreline

References

External links

TributariesLakesTowns

Hunterdon County	Bethlehem Califon Clinton Borough Clinton Township East Amwell Flemington Franklin Glen Gardner Hampton High Bridge Lebanon Borough Lebanon Township Raritan Readington Tewksbury Union West Amwell
Mercer County	East Windsor Hightstown Hopewell Borough Hopewell Township Lawrence Pennington Princeton Robbinsville West Windsor
Middlesex County	The Amboys Perth Amboy South Amboy The Brunswicks East Brunswick New Brunswick North Brunswick South Brunswick Cranbury Dunellen Edison Helmetta Highland Park Jamesburg Metuchen Middlesex Milltown Monroe Old Bridge Piscataway Plainsboro Sayreville South Plainfield South River Spotswood Woodbridge
Monmouth County	Englishtown Freehold Borough Freehold Township Manalapan Marlboro Millstone Roosevelt
Morris County	Chester Borough Chester Township Mendham Borough Mendham Township Mount Olive Washington
Somerset County	Bedminster Bernards Bernardsville Bound Brook Branchburg Bridgewater Far Hills Franklin Green Brook Hillsborough Manville Millstone Montgomery North Plainfield Peapack-Gladstone Raritan Rocky Hill Somerville South Bound Brook Warren Watchung
Union County	Berkeley Heights Fanwood Mountainside Plainfield Scotch Plains Springfield Summit

Crossings