Lake-Silkworth Protective Association
Watershed
WATERSHED DESCRIPTION
The Lake Silkworth watershed covers an area of approximately 959 acres in northwest Lehman Township, Luzerne County. The lake is recharged by groundwater and rainfall with a stream outlet (no stream inlet) that connects to the Chesapeake Bay watershed via Hunlock Creek and the Susquehanna River. The surface area of the lake is approximately eighty-two acres at an elevation of 1193 feet. There is an additional eleven to fifteen acres of contiguous, permanent, natural wetlands, including a floating bog, on the north side of the lake. The deepest part of the lake is approximately forty feet with a mean depth of approximately twenty-three feet. The littoral zone is generally narrow except for areas near the north wetland, the outlet, and the tip of the eastern bay. Data on record indicates that the lake contains a water volume of approximately fifty-five million gallons with a retention period of thirty-eight days. Extensive residential development exists close to the shoreline and extends upward along the surrounding hills. Drinking water for these residences is supplied by on-lot private wells. Based on casual information, the majority of the wells in the area range in depth from approximately 100 to 300 feet. Older residents in the area relate that the lake itself was once a source of drinking water for some cottages, as well as a resource for ice harvesting in the winter.
Almost all of the water runoff from the roads and the surrounding hills flows directly into the lake. Septic systems are the predominant sewage disposal system in the drainage area, and lawn grass is the predominant ground cover on lakefront building lots.
Lake Silkworth is used in all seasons for fishing, in winter for ice skating, hockey, snowmobiling, and skiing, and in summer for swimming and boating. It is a significant source of seasonal revenue in the area from both local and out of state visitors