304:, known as First Dam or Van Natta's Dam, was purchased by the Ithaca Water and Light Company in 1892 to provide a drinking water supply for the city; the abandoned mill is still a prominent landmark. In 1902, the structure known as Second Dam or the 30-foot Dam was constructed upstream. A third dam, known as the 60-foot Dam, Third Dam, or Potters Fall Dam, was built in 1911. Finally, in 1925, a siltation trap, known as the Silt Dam, was built above the 60-foot Dam. The reservoir behind the 60-foot Dam, sometimes called Ithaca Reservoir, is a major water supply reservoir for the City of Ithaca. In 2010, the city approved a plan to refurbish the water treatment plant rather than join the
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upper valley is characterized by steep gorge walls. Because the lower valley was filled with sediments as the glaciers retreated, the new channel initially flowed without regard to its pre-glacial location. Over time, it washed away sediment filling pre-glacial gorges in some places, whereas in other reaches, it cut into the bedrock to create new post-glacial gorges. As the post-glacial gorges are narrower than the re-excavated pre-glacial gorges, the lower valley takes on the appearance of beads on a string.
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named the creek
Teegastoweas. It was given its current name by English settlers, marking the distance from the crossing near Brooktondale to the trail junction at the Cascadilla crossing in Ithaca. Water flowing down the steep valley powered numerous sawmills in the area, and at least one grist mill,
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Epoch until about 17,500 years ago. However, the exact details are debated. The main ice tongues split near modern-day
Brooktondale, resulting in different hydrogeology between the upper valley, from the headwaters to Brooktondale, and the lower valley between Brooktondale and the outlet. Much of the
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The reservoir above Second Dam has become a popular swimming area, although technically illegal, raising concerns about noise, crime, littering, and safety. Although volunteer rangers patrol the area, they do not have the power to write tickets or make arrests and must contact the
Tompkins County
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The headwaters lie on private land between Yellow Barn State Forest to the northwest and
Hammond Hill State Forest to the southeast. It then flows south into the
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Sheriff for enforcement actions. In 2015, a man drowned in the reservoir behind Second Dam, prompting discussion about increasing targeted enforcement.
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Several dams were raised on the lower creek in the late 19th and early 20th centuries at each “bead” on the gorge. The mill dam above the Van Natta
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near the intersection of Irish
Settlement Road (Tompkins County Highway 162A) and Card Road and drains into
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Williams, Mary (June 18, 2010), "A century later, creek still supplies Ithaca's drinking water",
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464:"Dangerous Waters: As Swimmers Multiply at Ithaca's Second Dam, So Do the Problems"
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245:. Its watershed is the principal source of drinking water for the City of
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Glaciation advanced and retreated along the creek valley in the late
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The lower creek valley was a transportation route into Ithaca. The
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Southern Cayuga Lake Inter-municipal Water Supply
Commission
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489:"Drowning at Second Dam renews safety concerns"
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359:Milone and MacBroom, Inc. (October 2003),
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365:, City of Ithaca, New York, pp. 1–8
346:United States Department of the Interior
272:. There it turns northwest entering the
229:is a 20-mile-long (32 km) creek in
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399:Old Indian Trails in Tompkins County
379:Karig, Dan, et al. (May 2007),
530:Rivers of Tompkins County, New York
337:Geographic Names Information System
253:, and the surrounding communities.
487:O'Connor, Kelsey (July 27, 2015),
462:Chaisson, Bill (August 10, 2011),
268:, after which it turns west until
220:49.6 sq mi (128 km)
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362:Flood Mitigation Needs Assessment
16:River in New York, United States
342:United States Geological Survey
382:Sixmile Creek: A Status Report
297:the Van Natta Mill in Ithaca.
161: • coordinates
93: • coordinates
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308:, Bolton Point Water System.
62:Physical characteristics
200: • elevation
148: • location
80: • location
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525:Rivers of New York (state)
396:Norris, W. Glenn (1944),
231:Tompkins County, New York
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441:Six Mile Creek Watershed
385:, Sixmile Creek Partners
204:117 m (384 ft)
262:New York State Route 79
233:. It originates in the
212:20 mi (32 km)
183:42.44639°N 76.51194°W
115:42.46750°N 76.32889°W
266:Slaterville Springs
241:, which flows into
188:42.44639; -76.51194
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120:42.46750; -76.32889
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494:The Ithaca Journal
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286:Pleistocene
243:Cayuga Lake
186: /
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514:Categories
316:References
217:Basin size
174:76°30′43″W
171:42°26′47″N
106:76°19′44″W
302:gristmill
103:42°28′3″N
251:New York
56:Tompkins
46:New York
27:Location
280:History
32:Country
247:Ithaca
209:Length
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71:Source
52:County
403:(PDF)
136:Mouth
42:State
502:2016
475:2016
450:2016
411:2016
264:in
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323:^
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