Every Lake
Hemlock Reservoir
Closed to swimming and motorboats — it has supplied Bridgeport's drinking water since the early 1900s.
- 8 ft · first step
- 16 ft
- 25 ft
- 33 ft
- 41 ft
- 50 ft · bottom
About Hemlock Reservoir
Hemlock Reservoir sits in the towns of Easton and Fairfield, Connecticut, a few miles inland from Bridgeport. It was built as part of a chain of reservoirs the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company assembled in the Aspetuck River watershed to supply the growing city with drinking water, damming a valley stream to create a controlled basin covering roughly 356 acres. The reservoir remains an active water-supply source today, owned and operated by Aquarion Water Company, and is closed to swimming, wading, and gas-powered boats to protect the intake.
Public access is limited to permitted shoreline fishing and the land trust trails bordering the water, which draw anglers after trout and hikers walking through second-growth forest. The land around the reservoir has stayed largely undeveloped because it sits inside a protected watershed, so the shoreline shows few houses compared to nearby lakes. At about 50 feet at its deepest point and roughly 7 miles of shoreline, the reservoir is long and narrow, following the shape of the valley the Aspetuck system was built to flood.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 54 roads engraved around the shore, 11 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Hemlock Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Hemlock Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 16 ft, 25 ft, 33 ft, 41 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 50 ft. The lake covers about 0.6 square miles, and 54 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Hemlock Reservoir map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Hemlock Reservoir for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Hemlock Reservoir.
Hemlock Reservoir map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Hemlock Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Hemlock Reservoir is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 50 ft
- 0.6 square miles of water
- 54 shore roads engraved, 11 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
