Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 1335 |
|---|---|
| Citation | Nordin, R. 2005. Water Quality Objectives for Okanagan Lake: A First Update. Prepared for BC Ministry of Environment. |
| Organization | Ministry of Environment |
| URL | http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/objectives/oklakes_update_over/ok_lakes_update.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Water quality objectives for Okanagan Lake are proposed to protect the water resource from deterioration. This report is designed to be an update and expansion of a report produced by the Ministry of Environment in 1985. That report proposed water quality objectives for all the main stem lakes in the Okanagan valley for one indicator, the spring phosphorus concentration. This report confines itself to Okanagan Lake but recommends an increased number of water quality objectives that might be used to provide guidance for long-term water quality protection. Okanagan Lake is an extremely important water body for a number of uses. The objectives proposed were designed with consideration of three major uses: recreation and aesthetics, drinking water and aquatic life (fisheries). Inclusion of all these uses is necessary for long-term management and protection of this lake. A review of extensive background information provides the basis for proposed new objectives. A review of water uses including aquatic life provides the background for setting new objectives. Although there have been a variety of changes in different components of the ecosystem, some components, like phytoplankton and zooplankton, have shown remarkable stability with few changes over the period of record. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Okanagan |
| Sub-watershed if known | Okanagan Lake |
| Aquifer # | |
| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
| Contact Name | Rick Nordin |
| Contact Email |