Loch Raven Reservoir

The Loch Raven Reservoir is a reservoir that provides drinking water for the City of Baltimore and most of Baltimore County, Maryland. It is fed by the Big Gunpowder Falls river, and has a capacity of 23 billion US gallons of water.Originally built in 1881 as a dam and water tunnel to channel water to Lake Montebello and Lake Clifton, a new dam, creating a modern large reservoir lake, was constructed in 1914 in efforts to increase the municipal water supply, submerging the cotton mill town of Warren. In 1923, the dam was elevated from 51 to 117 feet, and was viewed by many as a step towards the re-vitalization of Baltimore after the Great Fire of 1904. Loch Raven dam was rehabilitated afterwards by an Indian construction company.

In addition to providing potable drinking water to Baltimore City and Baltimore County, the lake serves as a park and recreational area for the public to enjoy. A website for the reservoir is maintained by The City of Baltimore and can be found at lochraven.org