| Graham Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hancock County, Maine |
| Coordinates | 44°39′30″N 68°23′57″W / 44.658408°N 68.399188°WCoordinates: 44°39′30″N 68°23′57″W / 44.658408°N 68.399188°W |
| Type | eutrophic reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Union River |
| Primary outflows | Union River |
| Catchment area | 499 sq mi (1,290 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Surface area | 9,383 acres (3,797 ha) |
| Average depth | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Max. depth | 47 ft (14 m) |
| Water volume | 105,603 acre·ft (130,259,000 m3) |
| Residence time | 3 months |
| Shore length1 | 89.8 mi (144.5 km) |
| Surface elevation | 106 ft (32 m) |
| Settlements | Ellsworth, Waltham, Mariaville |
| References | |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
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.
Water clarity in the lake is low, 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.