Lake Kittamaqundi Explained

Lake Kittamaqundi
Coords:39.2119°N -76.8553°W
Area:27acres
Max-Depth:7feet
Islands:Nomanisan (1966-2011)
Pushpin Map:Maryland#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Lake Kittamaqundi in Maryland, USA.

Lake Kittamaqundi is a man made 27acres reservoir located in Columbia, Maryland in the vicinity of the Mall in Columbia as well as Merriweather Post Pavilion. It is also adjacent to offices and visible from US-29.

The lake was created by The Rouse Company in 1966 during the development of Columbia. The company and its homeowners association claimed it was named after the first Indian settlement in Howard County and "Kittamaqundi" in the tribe's language translates to "meeting place."[1] [2] [3] Kittamaqundi actually was a 17th-century Piscataway village 40miles south that was named after its ruler, 'Kittamaquund'.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] "Kittamaqundi" translates to "Great Beaver Place" or "Strong Bear".[15]

The area surrounding the lake is a popular location for various summer festivals and 4th of July fireworks.

History

Kittamaqundi is one of three man-made lakes created with the construction of the Columbia development. The lake served a dual purpose as a recreational feature and a low cost primary catch basin for water runoff from Wilde Lake into the Little Patuxent River. In 1973 Hittman Associates was contracted by the EPA to recommend the reuse of storm water runoff from Columbia's reservoir system for residential drinking water to save on development costs.[16] [17]

One Kittamaqundi drowning in 1971 was ruled a suicide, with the recovery of the body inspiring the Stephen Amidon book The New City.[18] [19] Another drowning occurred in 1972 from an overturned canoe.[20]

In 1977, a wooden flagpole structure built 10 years earlier displaying the American, State, and County flags was converted to a bell tower triggered every 15 minutes from Rouse headquarters. The tower was dismantled 2010 due to wood rot. The Columbia Association budgeted $75,000 in 2014 to rebuild the tower for the 50th anniversary of Columbia.[21]

In 1990 funding was sought for a pathway around the lake[22] though it wasn't completed until 2014.[23] Also in 1990, migrant geese were relocated and replaced with Trumpeter swans.[24] Groups of teens gathered at the lakefront at night causing crime and violence. Howard County policeman Herman Charity attributed the events to non-residents coming to take advantage of wealthier Columbia residents.[25] In 1996, police patrols were increased along the lake and adjoining neighborhoods.[26] In 1997, Canada goose droppings were costing the Columbia Association $20,000 a year in cleaning costs. A Border Collie and handler was hired for $17,000 a year to chase migrant geese from the lake.[27]

Lake Kittamaqundi originally featured an island known as Nomanisan Island, named by Columbia resident Alan Levine in a 1980 contest held by the Columbia Association. The island's name came from the phrase "No Man Is an Island" by John Donne.[28] [29] The gap between the island and the east bank of the lake was filled, creating a peninsula, during the dredging of the lake in 2010.[30]

A $70,000 statue of Jim and Willard Rouse was commissioned by his son's company Rouse & Associates and displayed in front of the Symphony Woods Office Building. The statues were put into storage for two and a half years due to vandalism, then sold to the Columbia Association in 2000 for $10,000 and positioned along the lakefront in 2001.[31]

Environment

The Mall in Columbia and nearby offices, and buildings along Little Patuxent Parkway were developed with a minimum of stormwater management, and are directly in Kittamaqunidi's watershed. In 2008, a survey posted that 55558lb per year of total suspended solids (TSS) and 250lb a year of phosphorus are collected in the lake. The recommendation was to have 6.3 million dollars in stormwater retention projects implemented to mitigate the development shortcomings for Lake Kittamaqundi alone.[32]

In the fall of 2010, dredging began in Lake Kittamaqundi. As sediment built up over the years since the lake's creation the depth of the lake was reduced. This dredging effort focused on restoring the lake to the original depths, reinforcing the banks, and creating two new peninsulas to enhance water flow. The dredging was completed in November 2011.[33]

In April 2014 a leaking diesel fuel holding tank at the Vantage House senior living facility filled the stormwater drains and deposited hundreds of gallons of diesel into Lake Kittamaqundi which had to be cleaned by Howard County Fire and Rescue.[34]

Fish species

A variety of fish species live in this lake including:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lakes of Columbia . https://web.archive.org/web/20080605233439/http://www.columbiamaryland.com/towlake.htm . June 5, 2008 . ColumbiaMaryland.com . December 28, 2010.
  2. Web site: How streets were named and other interesting facts . https://web.archive.org/web/20080601095233/http://columbiamaryland.com/othernam.htm . June 1, 2008 . ColumbiaMaryland.com . December 28, 2010.
  3. Book: Howard County. The Howard County Historical Society. 50.
  4. Book: Maryland: A History of Its People. 1986. Johns Hopkins University Press. 10. 9780801830051 .
  5. Book: Cross-cultural Collaboration: Native Peoples and Archaeology in the Northeastern United States. Jordan E. Kerber. 115.
  6. Book: The Patapsco: Baltimore's River of History. Paul Joseph Travers. Maryland Historical Society Tidewater Publishers. 1990. 20.
  7. Book: The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes: Northeast, Southeast, Caribbean. Sharon Malinowski. 249.
  8. Book: Native America: A State-by-state Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Daniel S. Murphree. 487.
  9. Book: Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, Volume 16. 1926. 308.
  10. Book: Appleton's cyclopædia of American biography, Volume 1. James Grant Wilson, John Fiske. 605.
  11. Book: Relatio itineris in Marylandiam, Issue. Andrew White. 63.
  12. Book: Jacob My Friend: His 17th Century Account of the Susquehannock Indians. Barry C. Kent. 472.
  13. Book: Baltz, Shirley Vlasak. A Chronicle of Belair. Bowie Heritage Committee. 1984. Bowie, Maryland. 4–7. 85165028.
  14. Book: Indians in Pennsylvania. Paula W. Wallace. 111.
  15. Book: The Lenâpé and their legends; with the complete text and symbols. Daniel Garrison Brinton. 27.
  16. Book: The Beneficial use of Stormwater. January 1973. Office of Research and Monitoring, Environmental Protection Agency.
  17. Book: Columbia. Barbara Kellner. 95.
  18. News: The Baltimore Sun. Utterly novel appearance for Columbia; Fiction: An adolescence spent in Maryland's well-known planned community inspires Stephen Amidon's fifth book, 'The New City.'. Pekkanen. Sarah. February 29, 2000.
  19. News: The Baltimore Sun. October 2, 1971. DEATH SPURS HEALTH PROBE.
  20. News: The Baltimore Sun. June 26, 1972. C10. Youth drowns in Kittamaqundi.
  21. News: The Baltimore Sun. Columbia Association plans to bring back lakefront bells. Luke Lavoie. October 30, 2014.
  22. News: Coram. James M.. Predictions Of Lean Times At Gloomy Budget Hearing Countians Present Shopping Lists Despite The News. The Baltimore Sun. December 16, 1990.
  23. News: Lavoie. Luke. New path around downtown Columbia lake opens. November 30, 2014. Columbia Flier. November 24, 2014.
  24. News: The Washington Post. Turf Wars at Swan Lake.. Horgan, Daniel. January 7, 1990.
  25. Book: New City Upon a Hill: A History of Columbia Maryland. Joseph Rocco. Mitchell . David L.. Stebenne. 2007 . 119. 978-1596290679.
  26. News: The Washington Post. Robberies Surge in Columbia: Police Step Up Undercover Patrols. August 1, 1996. Kathryn Wexler.
  27. News: The Washington Post. War and Geese: In Battle Against Mess, Dog is Columbia's Best Friend. Jennifer McMenamin. May 8, 1997.
  28. News: Tepe. Heather. Lake Kittamaqundi is the in place in Columbia on a day in spring. October 17, 2013. The Baltimore Sun. May 26, 1999.
  29. Web site: Columbia Lakefront Walking Tour. Columbia Association. October 17, 2013. Columbia Archives. https://web.archive.org/web/20131017093104/http://www.columbiaarchives.org/_files/pdfs/Lakefront%20Walking%20Tour.pdf. October 17, 2013. dead.
  30. News: Broadwater. Jennifer. The Dredge Report. June 27, 2013. Columbia Flier. April 8, 2010. Beginning in June, a forebay will be added at Lake Kittamaqundi's north end by building peninsulas to connect to the existing "Nomanisan Island" there.. https://web.archive.org/web/20131017083435/http://archives.explorehoward.com/news/70578/dredge-report/. October 17, 2013. dead.
  31. News: Vozzella. Laura. Statues of James and Willard Rouse coming out of storage into the light. The Baltimore Sun. October 16, 2001.
  32. Web site: BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR SYMPHONY STREAM AND LAKE KITTAMAQUNDI WATERSHEDS . November 4, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105132519/http://209.251.35.6/CountyCouncil/CCdocs/Best%20Management%20Practices%20for%20Symphony%20Stream%20and%20Lake%20Kittamaqundi%20Watersheds.pdf . November 5, 2013 .
  33. Lake Dredging - Columbia Association . Columbia Association . n.d. . August 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111001131413/http://www.columbiaassociation.com/content/getinformed/Lake_Dredging/lake_dredging_informed.cfm?expand=0 . October 1, 2011 . dead .
  34. Web site: Janney. Elizabeth. Town Center to Address Lake Kittamaqundi Diesel Spill. Patch.com. June 1, 2014. April 29, 2014.
  35. Web site: Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). December 22, 2020. iNaturalist. en.
  36. Web site: Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus). December 22, 2020. iNaturalist. en.
  37. Web site: Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus). December 22, 2020. iNaturalist. en.
  38. Book: New City Upon a Hill: A History of Columbia Maryland. Joseph Rocco. Mitchell. David L.. Stebenne. 2007 . 70. 978-1596290679.

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