Graham Lake (Maine)

Graham Lake in Hancock County, Maine is a eutrophic reservoir formed by the construction of a hydro-electric power dam in 1922 four miles (6 km) upstream from Ellsworth, Maine. The first dam was a hastily built earthen dam built by the Bangor Hydro Electric Company. It failed in 1923, flooding downtown Ellsworth and doing almost $8 million in property damage. The dam was rebuilt and operated by Bangor Hydro until its sale in 1999. The dam has since been acquired by Pennsylvania Power & Light which continues to use it to generate electricity.[1][3][4]

Graham Lake
Graham Lake Show map of Maine Graham Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Hancock County, Maine
Coordinates	44.658408°N 68.399188°W / 44.658408; -68.399188
Type	eutrophic reservoir [1]
Primary inflows	Union River [1]
Primary outflows	Union River [1]
Catchment area	499 sq mi (1,290 km2) [1]
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	13 miles (21 km)[2]
Surface area	9,383 acres (3,797 ha) [1]
Average depth	17 ft (5.2 m) [1]
Max. depth	47 ft (14 m) [1]
Water volume	105,603 acre⋅ft (130,259,000 m3) [1]
Residence time	3 months [1]
Shore length1	89.8 mi (144.5 km) [1]
Surface elevation	106 ft (32 m) [1]
Settlements	Ellsworth, Waltham, Mariaville
References	[2]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Water clarity in the lake is low,[5] with secchi disk measurements averaging less than 3 meters. Fish in the lake that are of interest to anglers include smallmouth bass, white perch, chain pickerel, landlocked salmon, and brook trout.[1]