The 50-acre (200,000 m2) reservoir was completed in 1858 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as part of the Washington Aqueduct project.

[4] Initially the reservoir provided water to the city from the adjacent Little Falls Branch until the aqueduct construction was completed.

[7] Until the early 21st century, the semi-solid residuals (sludge) produced by the treatment plant were periodically discharged to the Potomac River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required USACE to halt most of these discharges, and a residuals handling facility was built on site, which went into operation in 2012.

[8][9] The reservoir and water treatment plant are operated by the Washington Aqueduct, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.