Blue Marsh Lake, located northwest of Reading in Berks County, Pennsylvania,  was constructed by the Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its construction began in 1974 and was completed in 1979. Blue Marsh Lake started as a simple dam that was approved by Congress originally to provide flood control to part the Schuylkill River Valley. This dam, which now is an earthfill dam that that is 1,775 feet long, 98 feet high and can hold upwards of 16.28 billion gallons of water, extends throughout Reading, Birdsboro, Pottstown, Conshohocken and even some parts of Philadelphia.

Blue Marsh Lake which now consists of over 36 miles of trails, 5,000 acres of land and 1,147 acres of water, is used for flood control, water quality, water supply and last but definitely not the least, recreation. In fact, the Blue Marsh Lake park staff is increasing their outreaching efforts and are continuing to organize events that will happen year around in order to encourage visitors to continue to cherish the natural habitat around them.