Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining the health of smaller streams and sections of rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. If you would like to suggest a waterway to feature, contact Jeremy Cox at [email protected].
Fun fact: Maryland is the only state in the nation with no natural lakes. A cursory glance at Google Earth, though, reveals that Maryland still has more than its fair share of lakes. They’re just all the work of humans.
Less-fun fact: When those artificial water bodies become polluted, there can be real consequences. Take Lake Linganore in Frederick County, MD, once a small serpentine tributary of the Monocacy River, but now bloated beyond its banks, courtesy of a dam built in 1972.
Today, the 210-acre Lake Linganore carries the distinction of being Maryland’s largest privately owned lake. It is the focal point of a private housing community bearing the same name. Flanked by 5,000 homes, and many more to come, the lake functions as a setting for summertime water activities, a picturesque backdrop for backyard barbecues and a drinking water reservoir for the nearby city of Frederick…