Harveys Lake, one of Pennsylvania’s few natural lakes, is found in Luzerne County. It has a surface area of approximately 621.5 acres, or nearly a square mile, and it is situated entirely within the borough of Harveys Lake. By volume, it is the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania, and by surface area, is the second-largest lake. It is a glacial lake surrounded by hills and is the source of Harveys Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. Despite being a natural lake, it has a stone masonry dam. The lake’s watershed has an area of approximately 3600 acres. Nearly all of the developed land in the area is close to the lake itself, and the lake is surrounded entirely by a paved road. As you can see from the below photographs, the area around the lake is heavily developed with homes and other buildings built right up to the lakeshore around nearly the entire perimeter.
It is sad that few of Pennsylvania’s natural glacier lakes have been preserved in their natural, undammed state, with limited development. Few Pennsylvania residents will ever get an opportunity to experience a natural lake or learn about and appreciate their ecological importance. What has happened to Harveys Lake is, unfortunately, fairly typical of these lakes.
The day I visited, there was intermittent rain and heavily overcast skies, which do not make for the prettiest pictures.
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