To maintain Columbia's beauty and ensure the splendor of our city's lakes, Columbia Association (CA) is currently dredging Lake Elkhorn in Owen Brown and will be dredging Lake Kittamaqundi in Town Center and Wilde Lake in the Village of Wilde Lake.
To keep residents and community members informed of this effort, CA will provide timely updates and images regarding CA's dredging activity on a bi-monthly basis.
Lake Elkhorn
Information and Dredging Updates
This 37-acre lake in the village of Owen Brown was built by the Columbia Association in 1974 with a watershed of about 2,500 acres. The lake depth averages eight feet and is 15 feet at its deepest point.
On September 24, 2009, the Lake Elkhorn Dredging project was awarded to Mobile Dredging and Pumping Company. Hydraulic dredging of this lake officially began in October using a dredge boat and a pipe to carry sediment laden material to the work area where it will be dewatered and then hauled off the site.
As the CA Lake Elkhorn Dredging project moves forward, we will provide you with the latest dredging details and developments in the sections below. Most recent dredging activity and updates:
September 9, 2010: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - CA is in the process of dredging Lake Elkhorn. The original plan was developed with the input of residents and received the Board of Directors approval. This plan included sediment removal from Forebay Pond. Thus far, the dredging activity has been confined to the main lake body. However, we are approaching the point in the dredging schedule wherein the Contractor will work in Forebay Pond.
With this work approaching, CA would like to take the opportunity to describe the planned activities and the associated schedule to the community. CA was invited to attend the Owen Brown Village Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 7 at 7 p.m. At the meeting CA representatives discussed the impending activities and answered questions from residents.
The project plan that we presented generally consists of the following:
The Contractor anticipates mobilizing into Forebay Pond (identified by the dredging project as Area 1) the week of September 27. The mobilization will involve moving a mini-dredge on a "tilt" trailer down Farbell Row, onto the paved hiker/biker path and down the grassy slope to be launched into Area 1. To accomplish getting the dredge to the path, and negotiating the trailer down the curvature of Farbell Row, all vehicles will need to be parked off of the street during regular business hours. Signs will be posted all along Farbell Row letting residents know the exact date that the street needs to be free of parked vehicles.
The Contractor is required by the County to place crushed stone at the curb and along the entrance to the hiker/biker path for stabilization of the soils. There will be several trucks carrying stone that will use Farbell Row to access the area and place the stone during the same mobilization period. At this juncture, it is anticipated that the duration of the mobilization will be 2-3 days.
Once the dredge is in the water, the Contractor will only require periodic access to the path's entrance for pick-up trucks to maintain the activities. This will continue until the dredging is complete.
Demobilization is generally the removal of all equipment and stone that was placed during mobilization. The Contractor will use Farbell Row in the same manner as the mobilization and will require all vehicles to be parked off-street. It is currently anticipated the demobilization will occur the week of November 8. Again, signs will be posted along the street letting residents know the exact date that the street needs to be free of parked vehicles.
CA appreciates the cooperation and support of the residents to accomplish this plan.
Area identification on Elkhorn map
- Latest Images of the Lake Elkhorn Dredging Project - 7/29/2010
- Important Notice - Path Closure: There will be times when the path closure is not pre-determined, but construction activities and pedestrian safety require it to be closed for a very short period of time (i.e. 20-30 minutes). In cases such as these, signs may not be posted.
Lake Kittamaqundi
Information and Dredging Updates
Lake Kittamaqundi, in Town Center, is a 27-acre man-made lake with a maximum depth of seven feet. Its name, taken from the first recorded Native American settlement in Howard County, means "meeting place," and it is, indeed, a community-oriented site. CA is looking forward to dredging Lake Kittamaqundi within the next year so that it maintains its splendor and continues to serve as the "meeting place" in Columbia.
When dredging begins, CA will provide current updates and images of the Lake Kittamaqundi Lake Dredging project on this page.
September 8, 2010: Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update - The Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging project began with a kick-off meeting on August 10, 2010 with the contractor, Cashman Dredging; CA; HDR Engineering; Maryland Department of the Environment and Howard County in attendance. Project elements were reviewed and everyone was looking forward to a speedy start and successful outcome.
Since the kick-off meeting, Cashman Dredging has begun surveying the lake and constructing the staging area at South Entrance Road. They have completed the grading, stabilization and sediment control devices for the crescent access road and the work pad. Paving of the work pad was accomplished the week of August 30.
The site work required to access the southern end of the lake and the isthmus (Kennedy Gardens area) from the GGP lower parking lot is ongoing. The contractor is creating a temporary pedestrian path that is parallel to the paved hiker/biker path so that pedestrians can continue to circulate between Town Center and Oakland Mill via the Route 29 pedestrian overpass. The temporary hiker/biker path is generally parallel to the existing path that the contractor will utilize to move equipment and materials around the lake, and is physically separated for pedestrian safety. There is a stretch that diverts through a stand of trees because the site's constraints would not allow it to remain next to the truck access. Additionally, the Contractor has begun clearing the access route along the isthmus extending from the paved trail loop at Kennedy Gardens along the east shore of the lake.
Cashman Dredging anticipates that the hydraulic dredge will be launched from the lower GGP parking lot into Lake Kittamaqundi sometime during the week of September 13. Thereafter, work will commence in the northern part of Lake Kittamaqundi (designated as Area 1). At this time, the work will be active seven days per week during the times permitted by the County.
- Latest Images of the Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project - 8/8/2010
- Important Notice - Path closure from Town Center to Kennedy Gardens - Due to work being done on the Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project, the pathway from Town Center to the Kennedy Gardens has been closed to the public. A temporary path from the Route 29 Pedestrain bridge to GGP's lower parking lot has been installed and directional signage has been provided. This pathway bypasses the work areas and maintains access to Town Center from Oakland Mills. The duration of the path closure is not known at this time. A tentative estimate would be Spring 2011.
- Temporary Path Closures: There may be temporary path closures periodically during the site work portion of the project. CA will make every effort to notify the community in advance. There will be times when the path closure is not pre-determined, but construction activities and pedestrian safety require it to be closed for a very short period of time (i.e. 20-30 minutes). In cases such as these, signs may not be posted. Please maintain safe distances from all construction equipment.
Wilde Lake
Information and Dredging Updates
Wilde Lake is a 22-acre man-made lake built by the Columbia Association in 1967. The site was originally a low-lying meadow of rough grass featuring a small stream. The lake depth ranges from 13 feet at the back of the dam to nearly eight feet in the lake's center. Wilde Lake flows downstream into Lake Kittamaqundi.
CA currently has plans to dredge Wilde Lake and, and when dredging begins, CA will provide timely updates and images of the lake dredging effort on this page.
July 29, 2010: Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update - After numerous public presentations and community meetings, CA released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the staging area design and dredging of Wilde Lake in September 2008. After CA staff evaluated the proposals, receiving a letter of recommendation from the Wilde Lake Village Board regarding the dredging plan and proposed methodology, a contract was awarded to Genesis Fluid Solutions on March 30, 2009.
Since the award, CA Project Team members, Anchor QEA, who is the Consulting Engineer, and Genesis have worked together establishing the staging area requirements, designing the site based on the requirements and finally submitting the completed plans to the regulatory agencies for permits.
At this time, CA anticipates that the permits will be issued at the end of August 2010. Based on the current schedule, Genesis Fluid Solutions will begin constructing the staging area in a portion of the grassy area between the Wilde Lake Dam and Little Patuxent Parkway on or about September 15, 2010. Once the staging area has been completed, the dewatering equipment will be set at the staging area. Genesis will then launch the hydraulic dredge into the lake and begin the dredging and dewatering operations. The dredging is anticipated to take approximately three months to complete. At the completion the staging area will be removed and the site restored to its original condition.
