The Ins and Outs of Lake Kampeska EarthCache
The Ins and Outs of Lake Kampeska
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In order to count this Earthcache as a find, you must complete the following tasks and email the answers to me.
1. Describe what you see at ground zero. Where is this water going and how quickly?
2. How do you think this area differed prior to the 1940s?
3. Take a sample of the water and describe its appearance.
This Earthcache is located at Jackson Park--where the original outlet of Lake Kampeska used to be. The bike trail runs through this park. There are picnic tables scattered throughout the park, a playground for the kids to enjoy, a boat launching area, and a beach. Enjoy!
All of the lakes in this region were created by glaciers that occupied the area some 20,000 years ago and retreated about 12,000 years ago. As the glaciers advanced and retreated, they gouged out parts of the landscape and smoothed other parts. They also left behind depressions where smaller chunks of ice broke off from the main ice sheet and remained immobile until eventually melting. It was these smaller pieces of left-behind ice that created the lakes in this area today. The massive weight of the ice created a depression which was eventually filled in by the meltwater of the ice and the main glacier.
Nearly every lake has an inlet and an outlet through which water and sediments enter and exit the lake. An outlet is important for controlling the water level of the lake. It also helps to move sediments through so they don’t build up in the lake. Sediment build up in a lake is bad because often times the sediments bring in toxins and pollution that promote the growth of algae, contaminate the water, and harm the aquatic life. It is impossible to eliminate all sediments and pollution that enter a lake, but an outlet keeps the water moving and helps to control this.
In the 1940s, the city of Watertown closed Lake Kampeska’s natural outlet in order to build an airport. The outlet used to be where you are now standing. Today, all that is left of the outlet is a few patches of wetlands. There is a small pond of the outlet left where Jackson park currently is today. Across the road to the east, one can see spots of wet, marshy land near where the bike path currently runs.
By closing this outlet, the Big Sioux River was transformed into Kampeska’s inlet and outlet. This change in natural water flow caused the outflow of water to slow drastically. According to an article by Ried Holien, 400,000 tons of sediment was brought into Kampeska in spring of 1994. Only 4000 tons of that was carried out. This means the majority of the sediments (along with the toxins and pollutants) are building up each year in the lake--much more than before the natural outlet was closed. Lake Kampeska also floods more frequently because the natural outlet has been closed. Because the outflow of water has slowed down because of only one entrance/exit, the lake cannot accept the same water levels as it could prior to this manmade change.
NOT A LOGGING REQUIREMENT: Feel free to post pictures of your group at the area or the area itself - I love looking at the pictures.
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