Leaser Lake

Leaser Lake is a man made lake located near Allentown in Lynn Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The lake is owned by the Commonwealth and managed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).[2]

Leaser Lake
Leaser Lake
Location8502 Pleasure Court
New Tripoli, PA 18066
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°40′07″N 75°50′05″W
TypeArtificial Lake
Primary inflowsJacksonville Branch of the Ontelaunee Creek
Primary outflowsSinking Creek
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area117 acres (47 ha)
Max. depth45 ft (14 m)
ReferencesGeoNames[1]

The lake was built for recreational use and opened to the public in 1971. It is the only lake in Lehigh County.[3] The lake is part of a 540 acre park which is owned in part by the PFBC and in part by Lehigh County.[4]

The lake covers 117 acres and is 45 feet deep.[5] The lake is created by a dam located on the Jacksonville Branch of the Ontelaunee Creek which is a tributary of Maiden Creek. The dam consists of an earth embankment, approximately 430 feet long by 53 feet high, and the top of the dam is 24 feet wide.[2]

History
Monument to Frederick Leaser

The lake is named after American patriot Frederick Leaser.[4] During the Revolutionary War in September 1777, the Liberty Bell was transported from Philadelphia to Allentown to protect it from the British. While in route, the wagon carrying the bell broke down and the bell was then transferred to Frederick Leaser's wagon to complete the journey to Zion Reformed Church in Allentown.[6] Leaser's home was in what is now known as Lynn Township.

The Leaser Lake dam has had a seepage problem since it was first filled. In 1991, the PFBC drained the lake to make needed repairs on the dam. The 1991 repairs proved to be inadequate and in 1999 the lake had to be drained 20 feet to prevent dam failure.[7] In 2008-2009, the lake was once again drained to rebuild the dam and spillway.[8] Shortly after the lake was reopened, seepage was once again discovered which prevented the lake from being completely filled. The new seepage location was not where the dam's last $3.5 million rebuilding project had taken place. In September 2014, the lake was lowered by 20 feet so that repairs could be made to the recent seeping area.[9] Repairs to the dam were completed in Spring 2015 and the lake was filled to capacity for the first time since 1991.[10]

Primary Fish[5]
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References
  1. "Leaser Lake". GeoNames.org.
  2. "Leaser Lake Information Paper". fishandboat.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  3. "Leaser Lake Boats, Bikes & Bait". www.leaserlake.com. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  4. "Leaser Lake". www.lehighcounty.org. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  5. "Pennsylvania Lakes - Leaser Lake". fishandboat.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  6. "American hero rocks the cradle, saves the Liberty Bell | The State Museum of Pennsylvania". statemuseumpa.org. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  7. "About Us". www.leaserlakeheritage.org. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  8. "Before the dam breaks, let the waters rise". tribunedigital-mcall. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  9. "Leaser Lake undergoing yet another repair". tribunedigital-mcall. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  10. WFMZ. "Leaser Lake in Lehigh County ready for boats, bikes". WFMZ. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
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