Dalecarlia Reservoir, reservoir in Bethesda, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., United States
Dalecarlia Reservoir is a drinking water storage facility in Montgomery County that serves Washington D.C., fed by two pipelines drawing water from the Potomac River. The site also includes a water treatment plant that processes the water before it enters the city's distribution network.
The reservoir was built in 1858 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Washington Aqueduct, one of the country's first large-scale water supply projects. Water began flowing to the city in 1859, responding to the need for clean drinking water in a rapidly growing urban area.
The name Dalecarlia comes from the Swedish region of Dalarna, reflecting the Scandinavian heritage of some early settlers in the area. Today, visitors walking around the reservoir will notice how closely the water infrastructure is woven into the surrounding green landscape, making it feel more like a park than a utility site.
Paths around the site are open for walking and biking and can be reached easily from nearby neighborhoods. Swimming and boating are not allowed on the water, so the area works best as a spot for a relaxed outdoor walk.
The water treatment plant on site still uses a sand filter system installed in the 1920s, which continues to operate today alongside more modern equipment. A waste handling facility was added in 2012 to meet tighter environmental rules, making the site a working example of how old infrastructure adapts over time.
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