Fun Fact: Which Maryland County Has the State’s Only Natural Lake?

If you are looking for a natural lake in Maryland, you won’t find one.

Maryland has no natural lakes or those defined by the EPA as:

“Lakes without evidence of a dam or where available information indicated the lake was natural even if a dam exists to augment the depth of the lake. Analysts defined manmade reservoirs as waterbodies that were constructed.”

deep creek lake
Deep Creek Lake, Courtesy of Visitdeepcreek.com

All of Maryland’s lakes are manmade by damming rivers. Some have been named lakes (Lake Habeeb in Allegany County and Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County), but most have been named reservoirs (Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore County).

So, why are there no natural lakes in Maryland? And why are some manmade lakes called lakes while others are called reservoirs?

Learn those answers and more on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Geology site.

Do you have a fun fact to share about your county? If so, please send it to Allison Valliant to be featured in MACo’s weekly Fun Fact on Conduit Street.