Silver Lake is a privately-owned brackish water

Brackish water

Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...

 pond

Pond

A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...

 in Milford

Milford, Delaware

Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,559....

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. It is located by the headwaters of the Mispillion River

Mispillion River

The Mispillion River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in southern Delaware in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles long and drains an area of 76 square miles on the Atlantic Coastal Plain....

. Haven Lake

Haven Lake

Haven Lake is a mill pond formed by an antiquated dam across the source of the Mispillion River. It is located in the city of Milford, where U.S. Route 113 serves as a major highway. Haven Lake is west of U.S. Route 113. The route crosses the Mispillion River, which defines the boundary between...

 is adjacent to Silver Lake. U.S. Route 113

U.S. Route 113

U.S. Route 113 is a spur of US 13 in the U.S. states of Maryland and Delaware. The U.S. Highway runs from US 13 in Pocomoke City, Maryland north to Delaware Route 1 in Milford, Delaware...

 travels between the two lakes, crossing the Mispillion River. On the river, there was a milldam

Milldam

A milldam is a dam constructed on a waterway to create a mill pond.Water passing through a dam's spillway is used to turn a water wheel and provide energy to the many varieties of watermill...

established in the late 18th century, which formed Silver Lake. The mill was replaced in the 19th century.