Ninemile Creek (Onondaga Lake) - Physical Characteristics

Physical Characteristics

Nine Mile Creek transforms itself several times throughout its approximately 10-mile (16 km)-long course through the Town of Marcellus. Nine Mile Creek drops in elevation between the Otisco Lake outlet and the Camillus-Marcellus town line by 360 feet (110 m) making the average stream velocity about 0.8 ft/s. The maximum depth is 5.5 feet (1.7 m) and average depth is 1.0 feet. (Update for entire creek )

A distinct difference in the creeks character occurs north versus south of the Village of Marcellus. South of the Village, one finds a meandering shallow stream with dense bank vegetation and the occasional beaver impoundment. The dam at the north end of Otisco Lake controls the flow of the creek and strongly influences the first several kilometers of the stream. Warm surface water from the lake feeds Nine Mile Creek in summer months making it intolerable for coldwater stream fish such as trout. In this reach, however, a diverse fishery is maintained, with a wide variety of fish more closely associated with warm waters. North of the Village the stream cuts through the Alps region (a steep sided valley cut through the Onondaga Escarpment) and experiences a drop in temperature as ground water influx increases. Dissolved oxygen levels increase moving northward while pH levels remain constant. This section is indicative of a typical limestone-based freestone stream.