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Lake Elkhorn

Coordinates: 39°11′01″N 76°50′27″W / 39.1836°N 76.8409°W / 39.1836; -76.8409
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Lake Elkhorn
View of Lake Elkhorn at Sunrise
Location of Lake Elkhorn in Maryland, USA.
Location of Lake Elkhorn in Maryland, USA.
Lake Elkhorn
Location of Lake Elkhorn in Maryland, USA.
Location of Lake Elkhorn in Maryland, USA.
Lake Elkhorn
LocationColumbia, Maryland
Coordinates39°11′01″N 76°50′27″W / 39.1836°N 76.8409°W / 39.1836; -76.8409
Typemanmade
Primary inflowsElkhorn Branch of the Little Patuxent River
Primary outflowsLittle Patuxent River
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area37 acres (15 ha)
Surface elevation295 ft (90 m)[1]
Spillway and dam of Lake Elkhorn
The wooden docks on the north side of Lake Elkhorn, facing northeast

Lake Elkhorn is a 37-acre (150,000 m2)[2] reservoir located in the Owen Brown area of Columbia, Maryland. It is Columbia's third and largest lake.[3][4] Its main features are a small dam and a park with a picnic pavilion and a two-mile (3 km) walking path around the lake. The path was built in 1982[5] and is surrounded by a park and townhouses. The lake, which was built in 1974, is named for the Elkhorn branch of the Little Patuxent River. In 1969, Spiro Agnew proclaimed the arrival of the first Columbia based scientific firm, Hittman Associates that relocated for favorable lease rates from Howard Research and Development.[6][7] Hittman in turn was contracted by the EPA using Wilde Lake as an example to recommend reuse of storm water runoff from all of Columbia's reservoir systems for residential drinking water to save on development costs.[8][9] The lake is overseen by the Columbia Association. The lake's location behind many townhouses, though considered an attractive feature to homeowners, has raised concern following the drowning of a small child on September 2, 2005. A drowning also occurred in 1980, and a maintenance worker drowned in March 1991.[10][11] A movement was started soon after to erect a fence around playground next to the lake, but the community was split over this need, and a consultant concluded a fence was not necessary.[12][13][14] The lake remained free of fatal incidents until October 8, 2013, when a body of a 32-year-old was found dead in the lake.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Elkhorn
  2. ^ Gelbert, Doug.A Bark in the Park: The 50 Best Places to Hike with Your Dog, Cruden Bay Books, 2003, ISBN 0-9644427-7-9, p. 111 https://books.google.com
  3. ^ Kellner, Barbara.Columbia, Arcadia Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0-7385-1792-5, p.96 https://books.google.com
  4. ^ Joseph Rocco, David L. Stebenne. New City Upon a Hill. p. 114.
  5. ^ Bloom, N.D. (2001). Suburban Alchemy: 1960s New Towns and the Transformation of the American Dream. Ohio State University Press. p. 102. ISBN 9780814208748. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  6. ^ Kevin Thomas (14 June 1992). "Firms and profits flourished on Columbia's fertile ground". The Baltimore Sun.
  7. ^ Barbara Kellner. Columbia. p. 95.
  8. ^ Office of research and Monitoring, Environmental Protection Agency (January 1973). The Beneficial use of Stormwater.
  9. ^ How Columbia, MD Streets Were Names Archived 2008-06-01 at the Wayback Machine columbiamaryland.com
  10. ^ Elizabeth Lean (12 June 1991). "Columbia Assn. faces charges in employee drowning Working conditions said to seriously violate state code". The Baltimore Sun.
  11. ^ "Men from Pa., Arbutus drown in 2 Md. lakes". The Baltimore Sun. 18 August 1980.
  12. ^ Blakely, Andrei."Community split over need for playground barrier" explorehoward.com
  13. ^ "Offices Proposed Next to Woodlawn"Washington Post, December 1, 2005
  14. ^ Partlow, Joshua."Boy Wanders Away, Drowns in Howard Lake"Washington Post, September 3, 2005
  15. ^ Luke Lavoie (10 October 2013). "Police find body in Columbia's Lake Elkhorn". The Baltimore Sun.