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Lake Dredging
Columbia Association. Investing in our environment and our community.
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.
Ten Year Lake and Large Pond Management Program
As part of CA's ongoing stewardship of the Columbia lakes, staff has begun the process to create a 10-year lake and large pond management plan. This plan would focus on all aspects of lake and large pond management including sediment removal, submerged aquatic vegetation, wildlife management and community engagement. Under the management plan regularly scheduled lake and large pond surveys would be conducted to better understand the impacts of large weather events such as hurricanes Irene and Lee and also to provide quantifiable trigger points for future maintenance and dredging projects.
 
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:
December 9, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - The Columbia Association has rejected a request by the Lake Elkhorn dredging contractor to consider longer work hours for the dredging project this coming summer. The contractor had made a request to continue work on the lake until 11pm but that request has been denied and dredging work will be limited to work hours from 7am to 9pm.
August 8, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - CA is pursuing a contract with JND Thomas Co., Inc. of Riverside, Calif., for the dredging of Lake Elkhorn in the amount of approximately $3.2 million. JND Thomas proposes to hydraulically dredge and mechanically dewater the Lake Elkhorn sediment. Per the contractor's availability, the start date for Lake Elkhorn dredging will be June 2012. Columbia Patch covers Lake Elkhorn dredging project.
July 12, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - Seven contractors have responded to CA's request for proposals to dredge Lake Elkhorn. Staff is in the process of reviewing those proposals and will be prepared to select a contractor within three weeks. The start dates vary by contractor and after a selection has been made an updated Lake Elkhorn dredging schedule will be distributed.
June 16, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - The Lake Elkhorn parking lot and pavilion have reopened temporarily. CA has reissued the Request for Proposals for completion of the Lake Elkhorn Dredging project and dredging activity isn't expected to resume until later this summer. In an effort to make the facility available to the public during this time, we have opened the parking lot and pavilion. The parking lot accessed off of Broken Land Parkway is no longer ADA accessible as it is a temporary opening. To accommodate for the loss of access, additional spaces have been designated as H/C Accessible in the existing parking lot off of Cradlerock Way, located on Dockside Lane.
May 3, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - The Columbia Association (CA) will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to complete the Lake Elkhorn dredging project within the next two weeks. Contract award will be made after June 15 when the state imposed fish spawning moratorium that prohibits dredging work is lifted. CA was unsuccessful in reaching a negotiated agreement with Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Company, the dredging contractor currently working on Lake Kittamaqundi. CA believes the competitive bid process will garner the best pricing and results for this important community project. The Lake Elkhorn dredging plan developed by HDR, a nationally recognized civil engineering firm, will be further reviewed by an outside dredging expert so that this anticipated community project is completed in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
April 22, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Update - CA staff members are actively pursing a negotiated contract to resume dredging Lake Elkhorn but work can begin no sooner than June 15 due to the aforementioned state mandated annual closure. Staff will bring the results of the negotiations to the CA Board of Directors in mid May.
March 9, 2011: Lake Elkhorn Dredging Update - The contract with current contractor dredging Lake Elkhorn has expired and they are in the process of removing their equipment from the staging area adjacent to Broken Land Parkway. The dredging was discontinued in December 2010 due to freezing temperatures and remained inactive until temperatures were consistently above freezing. During that period of inactivity, the annual Use I Stream Closure went into effect on March 1. This annual closure is mandated by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and prohibits in-water construction activities during the fish spawning period from March 1 through June 15 each year. In 2010, CA received an exception to the annual closure from MDE/DNR so that dredging could occur in the spring. CA applied for an exemption again this year but as of this date it has not been granted. During the state-mandated annual closure, Columbia Association staff are in the process of securing an alternate dredging contractor. An updated schedule will be released when a new contractor has been secured. CA is committed to completing the Lake Elkhorn dredging project, with a start-up of dredging activities as soon as possible.
Area identification on Elkhorn map
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.
November 23, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: The Lake Kittamaqundi dredging contract with Cashman Dredging that began in October 2010 has now been completed. The 14-month dredging effort totaled approximately 47,000 yards sediment which equates to roughly 3,000 tri-axle dump trucks moving sediment to approved dump sites. Cashman Dredging expects to have all of the dredging equipment off site before the end of 2011.
September 27, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Dredging at Lake Kittamaqundi has resumed after being temporarily suspended for clean-up operations associated with tropical level rain storms from earlier this month. Â
September 9, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Dredging at Lake Kittamaqundi has been temporarily suspended pending clean-up operations associated with the recent flooding at the South Entrance Rd. In spite of the recent flooding equipment damage was minor. Unfortunately the staging area was completely saturated with water from the tropical level rain storms and it will take several days before the staging area can accommodate lake sediments. Further updates will be issued when dredging work resumes.
August 8, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Work will continue on the Lake Kittamaqundi dredging project through the summer.
June 20, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Work continues in the main body of the lake with the dredging operation currently taking place just north of CA's Headquarters Office and Clyde's restaurant. More than 1,500 tandem axle dump trucks have been filled with lake sediment and hauled off site. Sediment removal is now approximately 40% complete. Work will continue through the summer and into the fall.
May 20, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Work continues in the main body of Lake Kittamaqundi and the dredging effort will continue to move from the north to the south this summer. The dewatering effort remains in place at the South Entrance Road staging area and there are no new developments in the dredging process.
May 5, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Dredging work is continuing in the main body of the lake using the primary sediment staging area located at South Entrance Road. The sediment dewatering bags are visible from the South Entrance Road drive looking north. The dredging project will continue through the spring and summer. The current dredging program calls for operating the hydraulic dredge on the lake for 5 work days followed by a 15-day dewatering and sediment haul off process.
April 22, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: Dredging work was temporarily suspended for three weeks while the dredging contractor modified dewatering methods to adjust from heavier sand and course grain material to the lighter sediment found further down lake. Dredging is now back underway and large de-watering bags have been installed at the staging area. Work will continue through this spring and summer until the dredging project has been completed.
March 1, 2011 - Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project Update: The work on Lake Kittamaqundi consisting of dredging, wetland creation and extensive site work to armor the Little Patuxent River banks has been progressing smoothly.
From the project inception, the contractor focused on the northern area of the lake and Little Patuxent River where various site features were to be constructed. The northern area of Lake Kittamaqundi is designated as Area 1 and contains the following enhancements: engineered wetlands, stone berms and peninsulas that form a "forebay" within the lake. Adjacent to the site enhancements, the Little Patuxent Rivier received bank armoring in select locations where the erosion from the storm surges and over-topping of the river created conditions that were detrimental to Lake Kittamaqundi.
The new wetlands and peninsula areas were created using dredged materials that has been dewatered using geo-bags that were placed within the limits of the new wetland area. The first two geo-bags were placed in the northern wetland area. The dredge begin hydraulically dredging from the northern most area of the Lake, Area 1. This material filled the geo-bags and was allowed to dewater. Once these two bags were full, the next two bags were laid out and the process repeated. The geo-bags, once full, were used as a stable place for equipment to be stationed to begin placing rip-rap (stone) in the lake. This rip-rap is the material that forms the stone berm and stabilizes the perimeter of the wetlands and peninsulas. After creating the perimeters, the bags were spliced open and the dewatered sediment was used to create the features. The wetland areas will be planted with native wetland-type vegetation in the warmer months of spring and begin the process of establishing themselves into a "wetland habitat."
Contractor has also completed work on the "imbricated rip-rap" in the Little Patuxent River. The "imbricated rip-rap" means large rock sections are stacked tightly onto each other to form a stone wall which is impervious to the eroding forces of moving water. Our contractor, Cashman Dredging and Marine Construction, was able to work through the winter months to complete the construction of the site features and the river bank armoring. Cashman is now focusing their efforts to dredge, de-water and haul from the site the accumulated sediment in Areas 2 and 3.
The primary staging area is located at South Entrance Road. It is at this site that the hydraulic dredge pumps the sediment for dewatering. Area 1 is nearing completion. The composition of the sediment in Area 1 is primarily sand. Over time, the sand became heavily compacted and it required a larger dredge to grind through the dense layer. Cashman brought in a 12" dredge for this purpose and with great effort, successfully removed the sediments as required. Quite a bit of rock was also recovered by the dredging effort which is believed to be the remnants of historical attempts to reinforce the isthmus from the eroding forces of the Little Patuxent River.
Cashman has created a secondary "staging area" along the isthmus at the Kennedy Gardens area for dewatering sediment fines from the created containment area. The contractor continues to access area from the lower lot of the General Growth Properties building in Town Center. An entry road from the parking lot to the paved hiker/biker path, with the widening and stabilizing of the hiker/biker path for truck traffic was completed. A temporary section of pedestrian path with signage to detour users off of the truck access section of the path was installed. The dredging will commence in Area 2 (area south of the newly formed peninsulas) and will continue in force as scheduled. Work will be performed 11 hours per day, 7 days a week, in accordance with the Howard County code. Turbidity monitoring continues to ensure that excessive sediment is not released into other areas of the Lake.
- Latest Images of the Lake Kittamaqundi Dredging Project - 3/1/2011
- 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 Pedestrian 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.
- Dredging Site Notice: Please avoid walking on newly-created wetlands and peninsulas Once the tender wetland plants are placed, they need to remain undisturbed in order for them to have enough time to get established and rooted so they can perform their 'wetland' function properly, like filtrating the water, providing habitat to wildlife, etc. If these emerging wetlands are walked on, it may impede their ability to become established and they may die, meaning CA would have to pay for the re-planting of these areas at future dates.
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.
January 6, 2012 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: CA has selected JND Thomas to perform the Wilde Lake Dredging Project. Work is scheduled for August 2012. Contract development is pending a supplemental funding request to the CA Board of Directors which will be presented in January 2012.
November 23, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: Proposals to dredge Wilde Lake have been received and are now under review. Staff expects to make an award before the end of this calendar year. The planned contract start date to begin in water dredging work at Wilde Lake will be August 19, 2012 so that the Columbia Nature Camp program can continue to operate from the Wilde Lake facility next summer. There is a state mandated fish spawning closure period that prevents in water dredging activities until June 16. Moving the start of in water dredging work at Wilde Lake to August 19 will allow the very popular CA Wilde Lake Nature Camp program to operate this coming summer
October 17, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: Responses to the Columbia Association Request For Proposals to dredge Wilde Lake have been received and are under evaluation. Staff expects to complete the evaluation process by the end of November and to make a contract award shortly thereafter.
August 9, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dreding Project Update: The Request for Proposals to dredge Wilde Lake will be re-issued in mid-August with contractor information due back to CA within 45 days.
July 12, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: CA staff are moving forward with a new request for proposals and will have that release date by the end of July.
June 24, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: CA has terminated the contract with Genesis Fluid Solutions to dredge Wilde Lake for non-performance. CA will re-open the request for proposals process to keep the Wilde Lake dredging project moving forward. CA has reserved all of its legal rights under the contract with Genesis Fluid Solutions.
June 10, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: CA has issued a notice to proceed to the Wilde Lake Dredging Contractor to begin in June. As of June 10, 2011 CA has not received a commitment to start the dredging project from the contractor. CA is committed to dredging Wilde Lake and will provide bi-monthly updates until this matter has been resolved.
April 22, 2011 - Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update: The Wilde Lake dredging contractor has been notified that work in Wilde Lake will be permissible after June 15. Staff is in the process of working with the contractor to ascertain an anticipated on-site arrival date and that information will be made available by mid-May 2011.
October 19, 2010: Wilde Lake Dredging Project Update - The original schedule showed that dredging activities at Wilde Lake were to commence in mid-September 2010. USACE/MDE and County Permits were expected to be received by the end of August 2010. While the County permit was issued on schedule, the USACE/MDE permit was received later than anticipated. The late arrival of the final permit prompted a re-assessment of the schedule to determine if the dredging work could be completed before the cold weather set in necessitating an operational shutdown. As a result of the re-examination of the schedule, the dredging contractor requested an extension for the project time of performance so that the work could begin in 2011. CA staff evaluated their justifications and, after notifying the CA Board of Directors, granted Genesis Fluid Solutions the extension to commence dredging in 2011.
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