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A geochemical perspective on the impact of development at Alta Lake, British Columbia, Canada

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Abstract

Small, temperate lakes are important to communities across Canada, but commonly lack the long-term water quality records that are required to assess the impact of development and environmental change. We measured a combination of bulk sediment geochemistry and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in a 210Pb- and 14C-dated sediment core from Alta Lake, Whistler, British Columbia. Channel avulsion at AD 1754 ± 81 on the 21-Mile Creek alluvial fan resulted in increased deposition of organic matter with a signal of autochthonous production. A decrease in δ13C beginning at AD 1949 ± 17 indicates an increase in pelagic productivity relative to benthic productivity and/or sewage input to Alta Lake. A corresponding increase in δ15N indicates an increase in sewage-derived nutrients during the same time period. These changes were synchronous and coincide with the onset of rapid development in the Whistler Valley. Increased metal deposition (Cu, As, and Zn) during the same period resulted from watershed disturbance during highway construction. Cu, As, and Zn concentrations correlated positively with C concentrations and negatively with Ti and K, suggesting removal of metals from the water column is closely related to autochthonous organic matter deposition. Fe/Mn ratios and Mo concentrations were expected to respond to hypolimnetic oxygen availability in response to decreased flushing rate and increased productivity following the loss of inflow from 21-Mile Creek, but did not display a clear time-stratigraphic signal. Collectively, these data suggest that the combination of bulk geochemistry and stable isotopes was an effective suite of variables for inferring environmental change and the effects of development on Alta Lake.

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Acknowledgments

The staff of Cascade Environmental Resource Group, including Ruth Begg and Candace Rose-Taylor provided support in the field; Heather Beresford at the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the staff of the Whistler Museum assisted in providing historical documentation and previous scientific work from the region; and many local residents shared their historical observations of Alta Lake, providing a local perspective that was valuable in the interpretation of the results of this study. Funding for this study was provided by NSERC Discovery (I. Spooner), NSERC Engage (to I. Spooner and Cascade Environmental Resource Group), and Acadia University. Comments on this manuscript by Rob Raeside and two anonymous reviewers were greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Acadia University, 12 University Ave., Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R5, Canada

    Dewey W. Dunnington & Ian S. Spooner

  2. Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 698, Halifax, NS, B3J 2T9, Canada

    Chris E. White

  3. André E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Lab, Department of Earth Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    R. Jack Cornett

  4. Cascade Environmental Resource Group, Unit 3 – 1005 Alpha Lake Road, Whistler, BC, V0N 1B1, Canada

    Dave Williamson & Mike Nelson

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  1. Dewey W. Dunnington
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Correspondence to Dewey W. Dunnington.

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Dunnington, D.W., Spooner, I.S., White, C.E. et al. A geochemical perspective on the impact of development at Alta Lake, British Columbia, Canada. J Paleolimnol 56, 315–330 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-016-9919-x

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