Little Seneca Lake is a reservoir located near the Boyds community in Montgomery County, Maryland.
| Little Seneca Lake | |
|---|---|
 March 2008 | |
  Little Seneca Lake  Little Seneca Lake | |
| Location | Boyds, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°11′17″N 77°18′24″W / 39.18799°N 77.306671°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Little Seneca Creek |
| Primary outflows | Little Seneca Creek |
| Catchment area | 21 square miles (54 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 505 acres (204 ha) |
| Average depth | 24.7 ft (7.5 m) |
| Max. depth | 68 ft (21 m) |
| Water volume | 4.5 billion US gallons (17,000,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 384 feet (117 m)[1] |
Overview
editThe 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
edit
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
editThe 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
editReferences
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Seneca Lake
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Little Seneca Creek Subwatershed". MCDEP. Archived from the original on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
- ^ Adopted CIP: Capital Improvements Program; Fiscal Years 2015 - 2020 (PDF) (Report). Laurel, MD: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. 2014. p. 12.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Black Hill Regional Park". Silver Spring, MD: Montgomery County Department of Parks. 2016-08-29.
External links
edit- Seneca Creek Watershed Partners - Volunteer stewardship organization
- Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission