Findlay Reservoirs #1 and #2: Two Pieces of a Puzzle

3 May 2015

Lakes# 27 and 28     Findlay Reservoirs #2 and #1, Hancock County

Findlay Reservoirs #2 and #1 are upground reservoirs located 2.5 miles southeast of Findlay. Reservoir #1 sits to the southeast of Reservoir #2, like a piece of a puzzle, together they form a square. The reservoirs can be reached from Findlay by taking State Route 37 to Hancock County Road 205 then going east one mile to County Road 234, north to Township Road 207, then east to the boat ramp. The boat ramp for Reservoir #1 can be reached by continuing on County Road 205 one mile east of County Road 234. Reservoir #1 was built in 1950 by Findlay as a municipal water supply, with Reservoir #2 following in 1968. Water for the reservoirs is pumped in from adjacent Blanchard River and area wells. Both reservoirs have earthen dikes that are 12 feet wide at the top with the insides of the dikes covered with limestone to protect them from erosion. There is a walking trail around both reservoirs and no trees or other scenery.

Reservoir #2 

I chose to kayak Reservoir #2 first because it is the larger of the two reservoirs and because I thought I might be able to portage from it to the smaller Reservoir #1.  Reservoir #2 is 645-acres with storage capacity of 5 billion gallons, which makes it the largest upground reservoir in Ohio. The reservoir has depths of 16 to 33 feet, with an average of 24 feet. Motors with a 9.9 horsepower max are allowed. There is an extremely large parking lot (I think it is big enough for everyone in Findlay to be there at the same time) with a port-a-john available. There is turn around and boat drop off at the top of the reservoir with limited parking.

Flat, No Trees, No Views

The Only Trees

Stairway Between Parking Lot and Top of Reservoir 

Reservoir #2 Parking Lot, Who Did They Think Was Going to Show Up? 

Once I put in at the boat ramp, I paddled southeast toward Reservoir #1. My plan was to portage over a section of the one mile dike that is shared by the two reservoirs; unfortunately, I couldn’t find a spot that I felt was safe. There wasn’t anything to see out on the water, no aquatic vegetation to entice visitors. The only wildlife I saw were two turkey vultures that checked me out. I named the reservoir’s baby camo cat duck Turk in honor of the turkey vultures.

Heading Southeast Toward Reservoir #1 

Riding the Waves Heading Southeast 

Heading to Common Shared Dike 

Searching the Dike For a Place to Portage

Turkey Vultures, "I'm Not Dead Yet" 

Reservoir #2 Baby Duck Turk 

After seeing the turkey vultures, I headed back to the boat ramp so I could move onto Reservoir #1. There is no parking at the top of Reservoir #1. You have to drop off your boat and drive down to the parking lot below. There are no restrooms at this reservoir. Reservoir #1 is 186 acres in size with a relatively flat bottom. It has water depths of 20 to 28 feet, with the average being the same as Reservoir #2, 24 feet. There was a noticeable difference in the color of water in Reservoir #1 from that in Reservoir #2. I am curious as to why. Only electric motors are permitted on the smaller reservoir.

Riding the Waves Back to Reservoir #2 Boat Ramp 

Parking Lot at Reservoir #1

Reservoir #1 Boat Ramp 

Beautiful Blue Water of Reservoir #1

I paddled north from the boat ramp toward Reservoir #2. I was looking for a possible portage spot from the small to larger reservoir, but once again I had no luck. Again, there wasn’t anything to look at out on the water and no wildlife to see.

Nothing But Water 

I decided to name this reservoir’s camo baby duck Blanchard in honor of the river that the reservoir gets its water from. I made it a short paddle and headed back in.

If I were not doing my BHAG of kayaking all the lakes in Ohio that are larger than 100 acres then I would not kayak these two reservoirs. They are flat open spaces with nothing to see. They would be good for working on speed and endurance because you would not have any obstacles to paddle around. If you live next door to the reservoirs it might be worth it to make a visit, otherwise my advice is to skip them.

May all your roads end in water,

Mama Duck Mona