- Prettyboy Reservoir
Infobox lake
lake_name = Prettyboy Reservoir
image_lake = Pbres.jpg
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location =Baltimore County, Maryland
coords =
type =reservoir
inflow =
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = 206.5 km²
depth =
max-depth =
volume = convert|19000000000|USgal|km3|abbr=on|lk=on
residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands =
cities =Prettyboy Reservoir occupies 206.5 sq/km of northern Baltimore County,
Maryland , also known as the Hereford Zone. Even though the reservoir is located in the county, Baltimore City owns the reservoir and the surrounding land. The reservoir is one of three reservoirs created to supply the Metropolitan Baltimore municipal water system. Prettyboy Reservoir, along withLoch Raven Reservoir that is downstream on the Gunpowder Falls, provide about 61% of the drinking water for the entire Baltimore Metropolitan system. For this reason, the Prettyboy is considered a “source water” or drinking water watershed. The reservoir on average contains about 19 billion gallons of water.The water from Prettyboy Reservoir is transferred to Loch Raven Reservoir via Gunpowder Falls rather than directly to Baltimore. It is then transferred via tunnel from Loch Raven to the Montebello Filtration Plants in Baltimore for treatment and distribution. Prettyboy Dam, completed in 1932, impounds the Gunpowder Falls to create the Reservoir. The dam has a spillway crest elevation of convert|520|ft|m|abbr=on of MSL and covers about convert|1500|acre|km2.
Prettyboy Reservoir sits behind the scenic Prettyboy Dam on the
Gunpowder River . Popular for hiking, mountain biking and fishing, Prettyboy makes a fun weekend adventure only minutes upInterstate 83 from Baltimore City. Prettyboy is also popular for swimming, which is prohibited. Sport bike riders and sports car enthusiasts also flock to the roads in the parklands that surround the reservoir.On June 23, 2008, Prettyboy Reservoir became the site of the first rescue performed by the Baltimore County Fire Department using a
helicopter with rescuers dangling from a rope. The victim was a 30-year-old woman who had injured herself while walking her dog. The department had just been trained in the rescue two weeks earlier [ [http://wjz.com/local/rescue.2.756016.html wjz.com - Helicopter Teams Have Success With First Rescue ] ] [ [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-copter0623,0,3031158.story?track=rss Topic Galleries - baltimoresun.com ] ] .External links
* [http://www.prettyboywatershed.org/ Prettyboy Watershed Alliance]
* [http://cityservices.baltimorecity.gov/dpw/waterwastewater02/waterquality4.html Where does the water come from?]
* [http://wjz.com/slideshows/rescue.hiker.prettyboy.20.755188.html?rid=0 Slideshow on June 23, 2008 rescue]
* [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-copter0623,0,3031158.story?track=rss Video of June 23, 2008 rescue]References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.