Place

Lake Wallenpaupack

Also known as: Wallenpaupack, the Pap

Pennsylvania's third-largest lake by surface area — a 5,700-acre, 13-mile-long reservoir on the Pocono Plateau in Pike and Wayne counties, created in 1926 by Pennsylvania Power and Light (now PPL) to generate hydroelectric power. The lake submerged the original Wallenpaupack Creek valley and a community of farms and a village named Wilsonville. PPL still operates the hydroelectric plant; the lake is also a major recreational and second-home destination, a bald-eagle reintroduction success site, and one of Pennsylvania's primary breeding refuges for common loon. The shoreline is a mix of PPL-owned, privately-owned, and Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District-protected land.

What it is

Lake Wallenpaupack — name from Lenape wallenpaupack, variously translated as “stream of swift and [[slow-water|slow water]]” or “deep, dead water” — is a 5,700-acre artificial reservoir created in 1926 when PPL completed the Wallenpaupack Hydroelectric Project. The dam (1,280 ft long, 70 ft tall) impounded Wallenpaupack Creek and submerged the upstream valley.

Key facts:

Size: 5,700 surface acres at full pool; 13 miles long; 52 miles of shoreline
Maximum depth: 60 feet
Original valley: included [[greenwich-village|the village]] of Wilsonville and ~30 small farms; residents were relocated when PPL acquired the rights
Hydroelectric plant: 44 megawatts, still operating; small contribution to the regional grid but historically significant as one of the larger PA hydro projects of its era

What lives there

Bald eagles: After near-extirpation across most of the lower 48 by the 1970s (DDT, lead poisoning, habitat loss), bald eagles were reintroduced to PA starting in 1983 from Saskatchewan-sourced juveniles. Lake Wallenpaupack hosted multiple of the original release sites and is now one of PA’s strongest breeding eagle locations. Multiple active nest territories on the lake; winter eagle concentrations exceed 50 birds in some years.

Common loons: Lake Wallenpaupack supports the state’s most reliable breeding loon population. Active nest territories on undeveloped shoreline portions; chicks raised through the summer; lake migration begins in late October.

Fish: Stocked muskellunge, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch. The fishery is primarily warm-water (the lake is too warm for native [[brook-trout|brook trout]] in summer). The fishery supports significant recreational use and the loon and eagle populations.

Migratory waterfowl: Common goldeneye, hooded merganser, common merganser, mallard, black duck, occasional [[tundra-swan|tundra swan]] and [[snow-goose|snow goose]] during migration.

Why it matters

Wallenpaupack is the bioregion’s case study in whether a large industrial-modified lake can still hold high ecological value. The answer, with caveats, has been “yes” — the lake has supported the bald-eagle reintroduction in PA, sustained loon breeding through the 21st century, and absorbed significant recreational pressure while maintaining acceptable water quality.

The caveats matter:

The original valley and its community are permanently gone; PPL’s 1920s acquisition was not free of pressure on the displaced residents
Shoreline development (second homes, marinas) continues to compress the undeveloped habitat both species need
Lead fishing tackle was a significant loon mortality cause until the 2024 statewide ban
Water-level management for hydroelectric and recreational pool affects shoreline vegetation, fish spawning, and loon nest stability

The Lake Wallenpaupack [[watershed-management|Watershed Management]] District (LWWMD), formed in 2012, is the institutional layer that monitors water quality, advocates against degrading developments, and coordinates with PPL on water-level management. Their continuity is part of the bioregion’s institutional substrate.

Public access

Wallenpaupack has multiple PPL-managed and county-managed boat launches, swimming areas, hiking trails, and campgrounds along the shoreline. Public access is reasonable; visitor density is high in summer.

Sources

PPL Lake Wallenpaupack public materials
PA Game Commission, bald-eagle reintroduction history
Lake Wallenpaupack [[watershed-management|Watershed Management]] District documentation
Wallenpaupack: An Illustrated History (Wayne County Historical Society)

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