Lake Needwood

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Lake Needwood is a 75-acre man made lake in Derwood, Maryland just north of Rockville, that is located on Rock Creek. The lake was created to serve as flood control. Ironically, there have been several evacuations of downstream residents during periods of heavy rain, due to concerns about the structural integrity of the earthen dam constructed in 1965.

The lake is part of Rock Creek Regional Park. Visitors can rent pedal boats, rowboats, and canoes, and a flat-bottom pontoon boat, the Needwood Queen, is available for rides. With a license, fishing is permitted. Also, the picnic areas surrounding the lake are popular locations for various events. Other park features include a visitors center and snack bar, hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, an archery range and Needwood Golf Course. About one mile southeast is Lake Needwood's sister lake, Lake Frank.

The Rock Creek Trail begins at Lake Needwood and can be followed along the course of Rock Creek, ending at the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

[edit] Mid-Atlantic States flood of 2006

The latest evacuation, of approximately 2,200 people, was on June 28, 2006. Communities just south of the lake were evacuated and were housed in temporary shelters at nearby high schools until the lake's level dropped, though it is still high above its normal level. The evacuees lived in 500 apartments at the Rock Creek Terrace complex on Viers Mill Road in Rockville and in 700 single family homes in that area. Officials stated that the lake was 25 feet above its normal level during the flood, and many roads in the surrounding area had been closed down for fear of flooding. As soon as fears subsided, evacuees returned home on June 29. Montgomery County Homeland Security director Gordon Aoyagi and Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer Bruce Romer estimated that if the dam had broken, areas south of the lake could have flooded up to 19 feet.[1]

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