Every Lake
West Lake Reservoir
193 acres of dammed water three miles around, outside Bridgeport, Connecticut.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 30 ft
- 38 ft
- 45 ft · bottom
About West Lake Reservoir
West Lake Reservoir sits in Fairfield County a few miles from Bridgeport, one of a string of impoundments built across southwestern Connecticut to supply drinking water to the region's growing towns. Like most of its neighbors, it was formed by damming a local stream valley rather than occurring naturally, turning a modest watershed into a several-hundred-acre holding basin. Utility ownership has kept its shoreline largely undeveloped, in contrast to the cottages and marinas that ring many natural New England lakes.
Public access to reservoirs like this one is usually limited to permitted shore fishing, with swimming, motorboats, and construction along the bank prohibited to protect the water supply. At roughly 193 acres with about three miles of shoreline, West Lake is midsized among the region's water-company holdings — small enough to see across, large enough to hold a stocked trout and bass fishery. Anglers and a handful of watershed-patrol staff make up most of the traffic on its water.
- 24 roads engraved around the shore, 10 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.
West Lake Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a West Lake Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 15 ft, 23 ft, 30 ft, 38 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 45 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles, and 24 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 West Lake 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 West Lake 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 West Lake Reservoir.
West Lake 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 West Lake Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. West Lake 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 45 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- 24 shore roads engraved, 10 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
