Lake Sagami

Lake Sagami (相模湖, Sagami-ko) is an artificial lake located in Midori-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa in Japan's Kantō region. Created in 1947 after the Sagami River was dammed, it serves as use for recreational and hydroelectric purposes.[1][3] The lake also served as venue for canoeing events at the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, located 60 kilometres (37 mi) from the lake.[3][4]

Lake Sagami
(2007)
Location	Kanagawa
Coordinates	35°36′50″N 139°11′0″E
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Sagami River[1]
Primary outflows	Sagami River
Catchment area	1.064 km^2 (0.411 sq mi)[1]
Basin countries	Japan
Surface area	3 km^2 (1.2 sq mi)
Average depth	19 m (62 ft)[2]
Max. depth	32 m (105 ft)[2]
Water volume	63,200,000 m^3 (1.67×10^10 US gal)[2]
Residence time	0.05 year[2]
Shore length^1	34.4 km (21.4 mi)[2]
Surface elevation	167 m (548 ft)
Frozen	never
Settlements	Sagamihara[3]
References	[1][2][3]
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Water and land usage surrounding the lake

Typical lake flows (in m³/s) are 85 hydroelectric, 10.34 domestic, 4.16 irrigation, and 2.15 industrial.[2] Land usage is 87.5% natural, 4.6% agricultural, and 7.9% other.[2] Eutrophication issues have been a serious issue of the lake that was first observed in 1967.[1] The main issue was microcystis algae bloom and reached its highest cell count of 2,500,000 cells/mL in July–October 1979 (data from 1985).[1] Most vegetation grown around the lake are grassland and weeds while most crops grown are rice and vegetables.[1] Fertilizer application for crops near the lake is moderate.[1]

Recreational uses

Because of the lake's creation in 1947, it displaced the careers of many local fishermen in the area.[5] In return for their livelihood being taken away, many of these families were offered rental boats in the new lake.[5] No private boats are allowed on the lake as a result.[5] To compensate for the loss of the smelt, black bass from the United States was imported to the lake as was Prussian carp.[5] Because of the bass, the lake is a popular recreational fishing area.[5] The lake is also used for couples dating for boat rides and families. Row boat standard daily rental rates are ¥3000 for one person, ¥4500 for two people, and ¥6000 for three people.[5]

Water treatment

In 1984, there were 170 industrial and four municipal sewage treatment plants surrounding the lake.[1]

References

1. International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC) of Japan detail information on Lake Sagami Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed September 9, 2008.
2. ILEC basic information on Lake Sagami Archived 2008-05-26 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed September 9, 2008.
3. JNTO information on Lake Sagami. Accessed September 9, 2008.
4. 1964 Summer Olympics official report Volume 1, Part 1. Archived 2010-07-07 at the Wayback Machine p. 131. (in English and French) Accessed September 11, 2008.
5. Green Gables information on Lake Sagami Archived 2012-09-19 at Archive.today. Accessed September 9, 2008.

External links