Blue Marsh Lake is an artificial lake located northwest of the city of Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...

, USA. It is in western Berks County, fed into by the Tulpehocken Creek

Tulpehocken Creek (Pennsylvania)

Tulpehocken Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States.An important transportation route in the early United States, the creek drains a limestone hill country area of Berks County south of the Appalachian Mountains and is considered one of the...

. The main span of the lake is along the border between Bern

Bern Township, Pennsylvania

Bern Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,758 at the 2000 census.It is in Schuylkill Valley School District.-Geography:...

 and Lower Heidelberg Townships

Lower Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania

Lower Heidelberg Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,513 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

. However, the northwesternmost portions lie in the more sparsely populated North Heidelberg

North Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania

North Heidelberg Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,325 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 and Penn Townships

Penn Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania

Penn Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,993 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 19.1 square miles , of which, 18.6 square miles of it is land and...

. In the middle of the lake is a large, uninhabited island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 (claimed by Bern Township). The lake is a popular recreation area in the summer, where people can fish

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, swim, and boat

Boating

Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...

.

History

Initial authorization for the reservoir was granted by the Flood Control Act of 1962 that started eight projects on the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

 basin. The Pennsylvania Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act

Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act

Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act is a public lands acquisition law enacted in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 22 June 1964. It permits the state to issue bonds for the purchase of lands for public parks, reservoirs, and other conservation, recreation, and historical preservation...

 provided funding and permitted the eminent domain

Eminent domain

Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

 acquisition of the land that would later become the lake with the governor's permission in 1969. The United States Army Corps of Engineers

United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

 began constructing the lake in March 1974 with the impoundment of the Tulpehocken Creek and was completed in September 1979.

External links

• Blue Marsh Lake, official website from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  United States Army Corps of Engineers
  The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...