Lake Kittamaqundi
| Lake Kittamaqundi | |
|---|---|
Lake Kittamaqundi
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| Location | Town Center, Columbia, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°12′43″N 76°51′19″W / 39.21194°N 76.85528°WCoordinates: 39°12′43″N 76°51′19″W / 39.21194°N 76.85528°W |
| Type | manmade |
| Primary inflows | Unnamed tributary of the Little Patuxent River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| Max. depth | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Surface elevation | 299 feet (91 m) |
| Islands | Nomanisan (1966-2011) |
Lake Kittamaqundi is a man made 27-acre (110,000 m2) reservoir located in Columbia, Maryland in the vicinity of the Mall in Columbia. It is also adjacent to the Rouse Company's 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."Kittamaqundi actually was a 17th-century Piscataway village 40 miles south that was named after its ruler, 'Kittamaquund'. "Kittamaqundi" translates to "Great Beaver Place" or "Strong Bear".
The area surrounding the lake is a popular location for various summer festivals and 4th of July fireworks.
Kittamaqundi is one of four 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.
One Kittamaqundi drowning in 1971 was ruled a suicide, with the recovery of the body inspiring the Stephen Amidon book "New City". Another drowning occurred in 1972 from an overturned canoe.
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.
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