Mary Elmer Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mary Elmer Lake |
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 Mary Elmer Lake
Location in New Jersey
Mary Elmer Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Hopewell Township / Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 39°26′47″N 75°15′02″W / 39.4465°N 75.2506°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Catchment area | 7.5 sq mi (19 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 22 acres (8.9 ha) |
Mary Elmer Lake is a beautiful lake located in Cumberland County, New Jersey. It's actually a special kind of lake called a reservoir. This means it was built by people to store water. The lake is used to supply water to the nearby city of Bridgeton and is also a great place for outdoor fun. It's connected to the Cohansey River system.
About Mary Elmer Lake
Mary Elmer Lake is found within the park system of Bridgeton, a city in New Jersey. The city of Bridgeton owns and manages the lake. When the water level is normal, the lake covers an area of about 22 acres (8.9 ha). That's like having 22 football fields of water!
The Dam and Water Flow
The lake is held back by a structure called the Mary Elmer Lake Dam. This dam is made of earth and works by using its own weight to hold back the water. It stands about 15 feet (4.6 m) tall and stretches for 500 feet (150 m). That's roughly the length of one and a half football fields!
The dam helps control the water. At its busiest, it can release about 4,078 cubic feet (115.5 m3) of water every second. The lake itself can hold about 68 acre-feet (84,000 m3) of water. It collects water from an area of about 7.5 square miles (19 km2).
Water flows into Mary Elmer Lake from a stream called Barret's Run. From Mary Elmer Lake, the water then flows out through a small stream. This stream empties into another nearby lake called Sunset Lake. Finally, the water from Sunset Lake flows into the larger Cohansey River.
History of the Lake
Mary Elmer Lake wasn't always called by its current name. Long ago, it was known as Ireland's Mill Pond. The dam that created the lake was finished in 1924. It was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is a group that helps build important public works projects in the United States. After the dam was built, the name of the lake was changed to Mary Elmer Lake.
