Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 142 |
|---|---|
| Citation | BC Ministry of Environment. 2005. Water Quality Objetives for Okanagan Lake [electronic resource]: First Update: Overview. BC Ministry of Environment. |
| Organization | Ministry of Environment |
| URL | http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/objectives/oklakes_update_over/ok_lakes_summary.html |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | THIS DOCUMENT is one in a series that establishes ambient water quality objectives for British Columbia. It is based on a report prepared by Limnos Water Associates for the Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Penticton and Kamloops, BC. This report is designed to be an update and expansion of a report produced by the Ministry of Environment in 1985. The 1985 report recommended water quality objectives for all the main stem lakes in the Okanagan Valley for one indicator only, the spring phosphorus concentration. This report confines itself to Okanagan Lake but recommends water quality objectives for additional parameters to provide guidance for long-term water quality protection. Okanagan Lake is an extremely important water body for a number of uses. There are numerous natural processes and human activities which affect the water quality of Okanagan Lake. The two major influences include nutrient input from non-point sources (e.g., agriculture, forest harvesting, septic tank systems, watershed sources, dust fall and precipitation) and hydrology (e.g., response time and climate change). The water quality objectives recommended are designed with consideration of three major uses: recreation and aesthetics, drinking water and aquatic life (fisheries). A review of extensive background information provided the basis for the recommended 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. The recommended water quality objectives are shown in Table 1. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Okanagan |
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| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
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