Liberty Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Liberty Reservoir is a reservoir
in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned by the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works, but is located outside of the city, and it divides Baltimore and Carroll Counties
.
(3,100 acre
) was the former site of the town of Oakland Mills, and the Melville Woolen Mills. The land was purchased from the Melville family in the 1930s. A rumor swirled that Oakland would be destroyed, but few left. An announcement was finally made in 1942 that a reservoir was to be built, but reality hit in 1947, when the timber cutters came to town.
In 1951, the government bought the Melville Woolen Mill for $1.5 million. It bought the farms and houses that were in the way of the lake. The tenant workers were forced to leave.
The mill was dynamited, although its five-story shell remained. It took years for the water to rise high enough to cover the crumbling walls. Over several years, the natural springs, tributaries, and other water sources filled in where Oakland Mills once stood to create the reservoir. Water overflowed the crest for the first time on February 6, 1956.
is the primary tributary
that feeds the reservoir. Other tributaries include Beaver Run, Keyer's Run, Prugh Run, Morgan Run, Middle Run, Locust Run, and Cooks Branch. Reservoir length is 11 mi (18 km) with a shore
line length at full pool of 81 mi (131 km). The average depth is 59 ft (18 m) with a maximum depth of 144 ft (44 m).
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned by the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works, but is located outside of the city, and it divides Baltimore and Carroll Counties
Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
.
History
This 1,225 hectareHectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(3,100 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
) was the former site of the town of Oakland Mills, and the Melville Woolen Mills. The land was purchased from the Melville family in the 1930s. A rumor swirled that Oakland would be destroyed, but few left. An announcement was finally made in 1942 that a reservoir was to be built, but reality hit in 1947, when the timber cutters came to town.
In 1951, the government bought the Melville Woolen Mill for $1.5 million. It bought the farms and houses that were in the way of the lake. The tenant workers were forced to leave.
The mill was dynamited, although its five-story shell remained. It took years for the water to rise high enough to cover the crumbling walls. Over several years, the natural springs, tributaries, and other water sources filled in where Oakland Mills once stood to create the reservoir. Water overflowed the crest for the first time on February 6, 1956.
Physical/ Habitat Description
The North Branch of the Patapsco RiverPatapsco River
The Patapsco River is a river in central Maryland which flows into Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore...
is the primary tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
that feeds the reservoir. Other tributaries include Beaver Run, Keyer's Run, Prugh Run, Morgan Run, Middle Run, Locust Run, and Cooks Branch. Reservoir length is 11 mi (18 km) with a shore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
line length at full pool of 81 mi (131 km). The average depth is 59 ft (18 m) with a maximum depth of 144 ft (44 m).
Activities
The reservoir is open to a vast array of activities. Patrons can bike, hike, fish, birdwatch, and relax. Prohibited activities include camping, fires, swimming and alcohol consumption. It is often very common to find swimmers in the heat of the summer however. Watershed Rangers are now patrolling all three of the cities watersheds. They have full police powers, and enforce all laws and regulations issued by the City of Baltimore Mayor and City Council, and the State of Maryland.External links
- Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area - Description, map and regulations (Md DNR)
- Metro Reservoir Anglers, Inc.