Bontecou Lake
| Bontecou Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Stanford and Washington, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°50′48″N 73°38′58″W / 41.84667°N 73.64944°W |
| Type | Rural reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Designation | New York State Critical Environmental Area |
| First flooded | ca. 1956 |
| Surface area | At least 113 acres (46 ha) |
| Water volume | 350,000,000 US gallons (1.3×109 L) |
| Surface elevation | 738 ft (225 m) |
Bontecou Lake, also known as Tamarack Swamp, is a shallow, man-made bifurcation lake in the towns of Stanford and Washington, in Dutchess County, New York, less than 5 mi (8 km) from the Village of Millbrook. Bontecou Lake straddles the drainage divide between the Wappinger Creek watershed to the west and the Tenmile River. Published estimates of its area vary between 113 acres (46 ha) and 135 acres (55 ha), placing it among the largest lakes in Dutchess County. The lake and surrounding land were protected as a nature preserve in 2022.