Nutrient Budget for Vancouver Lake
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Prepared in cooperation with the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership and Clark County Environmental Services Division Water and Nutrient Budgets for Vancouver Lake, Vancouver, Washington, October 2010–October 2012 Scientific Investigations Report 2014–5201 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Front Cover: Photograph showing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologist collecting a width and depth-integrated water quality sample across the mouth of Burnt Bridge Creek, Washington. (Photograph taken by James Foreman, USGS, November 2010.) Back Cover: Satellite image of Vancouver Lake, Washington. Imagery from U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2011 National Agriculture Imagery Program. Water and Nutrient Budgets for Vancouver Lake, Vancouver, Washington, October 2010–October 2012 By Rich W. Sheibley, James R. Foreman, Cameron A. Marshall, and Wendy B. Welch Prepared in cooperation with the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership and Clark County Environmental Services Division Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5201 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior SALLY JEWELL, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2014 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Sheibley, R.W., Foreman, J.R., Marshall, C.A., and Welch, W.B., 2014, Water and nutrient budgets for Vancouver Lake, Vancouver, Washington, October 2010–October 2012: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2014– 5201, 72 p., plus appendixes, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20145201. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................3 Study Area.......................................................................................................................................................3 Methods of Investigation ..............................................................................................................................7 Water Budget Methods .......................................................................................................................9 Surface Water Volumes ..............................................................................................................9 Groundwater Volume ................................................................................................................10 Precipitation Volume .................................................................................................................12 Lake Storage ...............................................................................................................................12 Evaporation .................................................................................................................................12 Nutrient Budget Methods ..................................................................................................................13 Surface Water Loads ................................................................................................................14 Surface Water Quality Data Collection .........................................................................14 Modeling Surface Water Loads ....................................................................................16 Groundwater Load .....................................................................................................................16 Precipitation Load ......................................................................................................................18 Change in Lake Storage ............................................................................................................18 Internal Load from Diffusive Flux ............................................................................................20 Sedimentation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus .........................................................................20 Quality of Data .....................................................................................................................................21 Water Budget for Vancouver Lake............................................................................................................21 Surface Water Hydrology ..................................................................................................................21 Precipitation to the Lake ....................................................................................................................25 Groundwater Discharge ....................................................................................................................26 Change in Lake Storage .....................................................................................................................27 Evaporation ..........................................................................................................................................28 Water Budget Summary ...................................................................................................................28 Summary of Water-Quality Data ................................................................................................................31 Trophic Status and Nutrient Limitation of the Lake .......................................................................41 Nutrient Budget for Vancouver Lake ........................................................................................................43 Surface Water Nutrient Loads ..........................................................................................................43 Groundwater Nutrient Loads ............................................................................................................50 Precipitation Loads .............................................................................................................................50 Change in Nutrients in Storage Within the Lake ..........................................................................51 Internal Load from Diffusion .............................................................................................................51 Sedimentation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus ..................................................................................51 Nutrient Budget Summary .................................................................................................................51 iv Contents—Continued Other Considerations ..................................................................................................................................59 Influence of Salmon Creek ...............................................................................................................59 Importance of Lake Sediment Resuspension ................................................................................63 Phosphorus Content of Sediment ....................................................................................................64 Phosphorus Inputs From Waterfowl ................................................................................................65 Additional Sources .............................................................................................................................65 Data Gaps and Future Work .......................................................................................................................65 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................................66 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................66 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................67 Appendixes ...................................................................................................................................................71 Appendix A. Relating Flow from Continuous Streamgage Stations to Water-Quality Stations for Burnt Bridge Creek at Vancouver Lake (14211920), Salmon Creek at Lake River (14213050), and Lake River at Felida (14211955) ...........................................71 Appendix B. Quality-Assurance