It drains a dissected plateau area east of the Finger Lakes at the northernmost edge of the watershed of the Susquehanna River.

At one time it was called the Onondaga, as leading to that town, and Teyoghagoga was another early form.

For a period of time the retreating of the front by melting matched the forward movement of the glacier, so that the captured rock, gravel and sand was deposited into the lake.

This huge quantity of material approximately half filled the valley, and reversed the flow direction to the southward.

It left enormous quantities of gravel from Tully to Cortland, some of which was used as building material for Interstate 81.