Little Seneca Lake Explained

Little Seneca Lake
Coords:39.188°N -77.3067°W
Outflow:Little Seneca Creek
Catchment:21sqmi
Basin Countries:United States
Area:5050NaN0
Depth:24.7feet
Max-Depth:68feet
Volume:4.5e9USgal
Pushpin Map:Maryland#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Little Seneca Lake in Maryland, USA.

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).[1] The capacity of the lake is 4.5 billion gallons (17 million m3).[2]

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.[3]

Drinking water supply

The lake was completed in 1984 and the water supply dam is operated by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC).[2] WSSC shares the drinking water resource with two adjacent public water suppliers, the Washington Aqueduct and the Fairfax County Water Authority.[4] [5]

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.[6]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. 2006-09-01 . Water Quality Analysis of Eutrophication for Little Seneca Lake, Montgomery County, MD . Maryland Department of the Environment . Baltimore, MD . 3.
  2. 2003 . Ten-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan, 2003-2012 . Chapter 3: Water Supply Systems . Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP) . Rockville, MD . 3-6, 3-11.
  3. Web site: Little Seneca Creek Subwatershed . . MCDEP . 2016-11-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161125045914/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/water/little-seneca-creek-watershed.html . 2016-11-25.
  4. 2014 . Adopted CIP: Capital Improvements Program; Fiscal Years 2015 - 2020 . Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission . Laurel, MD . 12.
  5. 2005 . Water Supply Reliability Forecast for the Washington Metropolitan Area: Year 2025 . https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20130813124616/http://www.potomacriver.org/publicationspdf/ICPRB05-6.pdf . dead . 2013-08-13 . Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin . Rockville, MD . 2-2 . Report No. 05-06 . 2015-02-28 .
  6. Web site: Black Hill Regional Park . . 2016-08-29 . Montgomery County Department of Parks . Silver Spring, MD.