The Georgetown Reservoir is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

that provides water to the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...

. Part of the city’s

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

and treatment infrastructure, it is located in the Palisades neighborhood, approximately two miles downstream from the Maryland–D.C. boundary. The reservoir was built by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

as part of the

Washington Aqueduct The Washington Aqueduct is an aqueduct that provides the public water supply system serving Washington, D.C., and parts of its suburbs, using water from the Potomac River. One of the first major aqueduct projects in the United States, the Aquedu ...

project. It was partially completed by 1858, but work was suspended for lack of funds. Construction began again in 1862, and was complete in 1864.''Proposed Water Treatment Residuals Management Process for the Washington Aqueduct: Environmental Impact Statement.'' Vol. 1. Washington Aqueduct Division. Baltimore District. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005, p. 3-32.
Accessed 2012-12-16. Additional construction and modifications to the reservoir were carried out through the 1860s and 1870s. Water from the Dalecarlia Reservoir is pumped to the Georgetown Reservoir for further

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

before being treated at the

McMillan Reservoir The McMillan Reservoir is a reservoir in Washington, D.C. that supplies the majority of the city's municipal water. It was originally called the Howard University Reservoir or the Washington City Reservoir, and was completed in 1902 by the U.S. A ...

. The reservoirs and the nearby Dalecarlia water treatment plant are operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The treated water is distributed throughout the city in water mains managed by the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. At the outlet of the Georgetown facility is a

sluice Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...

gate building that controls the flow of water into Washington City Tunnel, which leads to the McMillan Reservoir. This structure, called the Georgetown Castle Gatehouse, was built by the Army (c. 1901) in the shape of a castle.

References

External links

Washington Aqueduct
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
DC Water and Sewer Authority
{{Potomac River System Reservoirs in Washington, D.C. Chesapeake Bay watershed Potomac River watershed The Palisades (Washington, D.C.)