Little Seneca Lake

Little Seneca Lake
March 2008
Location of Little Seneca Lake in Maryland, USA.
Location of Little Seneca Lake in Maryland, USA.
Little Seneca Lake
Location of Little Seneca Lake in Maryland, USA.
Location of Little Seneca Lake in Maryland, USA.
Little Seneca Lake
LocationBoyds, Maryland
Coordinates39°11′17″N 77°18′24″W / 39.18799°N 77.306671°W / 39.18799; -77.306671
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsLittle Seneca Creek
Primary outflowsLittle Seneca Creek
Catchment area21 square miles (54 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area505 acres (204 ha)
Average depth24.7 ft (7.5 m)
Max. depth68 ft (21 m)
Water volume4.5 billion US gallons (17,000,000 m3)
Surface elevation384 feet (117 m)[1]

Little Seneca Lake is a reservoir located near the Boyds community in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Overview

The surface area of the lake is 505 acres (2.04 km2). The average depth is 24.7 feet (7.5 m) with a maximum depth of 68 feet (21 m).[2] The capacity of the lake is 4.5 billion gallons (17 million m3).[3]

The lake was created by the construction of a dam on Little Seneca Creek. It was built to provide an emergency water supply for the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, and it also provides a recreational amenity for the public.[4]

Drinking water supply

Oblique air photo of Little Seneca Lake, facing west on 1 August 2011.

The lake was completed in 1984 and the water supply dam is operated by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC).[3] WSSC shares the drinking water resource with two adjacent public water suppliers, the Washington Aqueduct and the Fairfax County Water Authority.[5][6]

Recreational facilities

The lake is located in Black Hill Regional Park. Fishing and boating facilities are available at the park. The lake is stocked for recreational fishing. Fish species found in the lake include largemouth bass, tiger muskie, channel catfish, sunfish, perch and crappie.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Seneca Lake
  2. ^ Water Quality Analysis of Eutrophication for Little Seneca Lake, Montgomery County, MD (PDF) (Report). Baltimore, MD: Maryland Department of the Environment. 2006-09-01. p. 3.
  3. ^ a b "Chapter 3: Water Supply Systems". Ten-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan, 2003-2012 (PDF) (Report). Rockville, MD: Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP). 2003. pp. 3–6, 3–11.
  4. ^ "Little Seneca Creek Subwatershed". MCDEP. Archived from the original on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  5. ^ Adopted CIP: Capital Improvements Program; Fiscal Years 2015 - 2020 (PDF) (Report). Laurel, MD: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. 2014. p. 12.
  6. ^ Water Supply Reliability Forecast for the Washington Metropolitan Area: Year 2025 (PDF) (Report). Rockville, MD: Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. 2005. p. 2-2. Report No. 05-06. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
  7. ^ "Black Hill Regional Park". Silver Spring, MD: Montgomery County Department of Parks. 2016-08-29.