GOVDC CA3 AL Lsthoriar^a^Ar.a t< OMR 9 1975 04 2 REGIONAL LAKES PERSPECTIVE OLDMAN RIVER REGION i?rJ 1. INVENTORY OLDMAN RIVER REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION 1975 J GOVDC CA3 AL OMR 9 197 5 042 Oldman River Regional Planning Commission Oldman River region : regional lakes perspective. 1. Inventory 35057007687147 OLDMAN RIVER REGION REGIONAL LAKES PERSPECTIVE 1. INVENTORY Project Co-ordinator: John L. Kovacs, Associate Planner Report & Research: Lynda Paterson, Research Officer Michael Luco, Research Officer Published by OLDMAN RIVER REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION October, 1975 FOREWORD In December, 1974, the Preliminary Regional Plan for the Oldman River Region was approved by the Provincial Planning Board. The Plan con­ tains guidelines and policies for the development and betterment of the Oldman River Region. Among other things, the Plan established that a com­ prehensive plan for outdoor recreation and open space facilities is required for the Region and that such a plan should be consistent with municipal, provincial and federal objectives. This report entitled, Oldman River Region — Regional Lakes Perspective 1. Inventory is the first stage of an evolving regional plan for out­ door recreation and open space. It contains a summary of relevant data nec­ essary for management planning of our region's lake resources. This inventory was made possible through assistance provided by the Land Use Forum's Technical Committee on Lakes and Lake Shorelands and methodologies developed by its participating agencies. This inventory on lakes also forms part of the survey phase of the Southern Alberta Recreation Enhancement Study set up through Alberta Environment to assess and enhance water based recreation in Southern Alberta. The Oldman, Medicine Hat and Calgary Regional Planning Com­ missions are participating in the Study. Your comments on this report and suggestions for utilization of our lake resources would be appreciated. l.t)JLrfk L. O. Smith, Executive Director. CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 THE OLDMAN RIVER REGION 3 INVENTORY PROCEDURE 4 THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM AND DATA BASE 5 LAKES IN GROUP 1 9 LAKES IN GROUP 2 22 LAKES IN GROUP 3 28 FUTURE MANAGEMENT STUDIES 30 PARK LAKE 31 KEHO LAKE 34 CHAIN LAKES 36 TRAVERS RESERVOIR 39 CONCLUSION 42 FUTURE WORK PROGRAM 45 BIBLIOGRAPHY 46 APPENDICES la APPENDICES Page A EXPLANATION OF CANADA LAND INVENTORY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM la B. POLICY STATEMENTS FOR LAND USE IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPABILITY 12a The following appendices refer to Group 1 Lakes only: C LAKE DATA SHEETS 15a D. TOTAL SHORELINE LENGTH AND SHORELAND AREAS 51a E. REGIONAL RESOURCE CAPABILITIES 53a F. OWNERSHIP PATTERNS 59a G. RECREATION FACILITIES 61a TABLES Page 1. DISTRIBUTION OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT LAKES 11 2. LAKE CLASSIFICATION-GROUP 1 13 3. REGIONAL SHORELINE CAPABILITY 14 4. REGIONAL SHORELAND CAPABILITY 15 5. CLI. RATINGS 17 6. NUMBER OF LAKES PER CATEGORY AND CANADA LAND INVENTORY 17 7. SHORELINE LAND USE 19 8. OWNERSHIP PATTERNS AROUND LAKES 20 9. DISTRIBUTION OF CONSERVATION LAKES - GROUP 2 23 10. LAKES CLASSIFICATIONS-GROUP 2 24 11. LAKES IN GROUP 3 29 MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Page OLDMAN RIVER REGION preceding 1 DISTRIBUTION OF LAKES - GROUP 1 following 10 LAKE CLASSIFICATIONS following 10 EXISTING LAND USE - 1970 following 18 WATER RESOURCES - 1972 following 18 PROVINCIAL AND MUNICIPAL PARKS - LETHBRIDGE AREA following 30 PARK LAKE preceding 31 KEHO LAKE preceding 34 CHAIN LAKES preceding 36 TRAVERS RESERVOIR preceding 39 OLDmnn RIUER RECIOII MEDICINE HUT Oldmn River Regional Pliniiig Commission MONTANA U S.A. INTRODUCTION OUR LAKE RESOURCES In the fall of 1973 the Provincial Technical Committee on Lakes and Lake Shore- lands was established under the Land Use Forum "to assess the available supply of lakes and lake shorelands in the province and to throw some light on the question of what should be done with this supply, what are the best uses this resource could and should be allocated for in terms of the quantity and type of the supply and the user pressure."1 Regional plan­ ning commissions and Provincial departments which deal with lakes and lake shorelands are cooperating in gathering information on our lake resources. Participation on the Committee insures a common methodology and approach in developing management plans of lakes and their shorelands for which this information is used. With the mobility of the recreationist, it is felt that plans for the lakes of a given region cannot be developed in isolation from neighboring areas. For this reason, the Oldman River Regional Planning Commission also became affiliated with the Southern Alberta Recre­ ation Enhancement Committee, which was set up through Alberta Environment to assess water based recreation in Southern Alberta. The Calgary, Medicine Hat and Oldman River Regional Planning commissions are participating. The objectives of the S.A.R.E. Study are to: "survey, analyse and evaluate all existing water-based recreational activities within the Calgary, Medicine Hat and Oldman River Regional Planning Com­ missions, to propose sites for possible future development if required, and to develop effective water management alternatives, for all lakes, reservoirs and rivers in order to enhance the water-based recreational facilities available to the residents of Southern Alberta." 2 The inventory presented in this report forms part of the survey phase of the Study. This phase was outlined as follows: "Identify all lakes, reservoirs and rivers in the study area and conduct a thorough in­ ventory of each water body with respect to: 1. Its physical resource base 2. Its natural resource base 3. Its existing land use (with particular emphasis on recreational land use) 4. The distribution of Crown and patented land 5. The capability of the water and shoreline to sustain various recreational activities and/or facilities."3 technical Committee on Lakes and Lake Shorelands, Use of Our Lakes and Lake Shorelands, Alberta Land Use Forum Technical Report 12 (Edmonton, 1974), p. I - 6. Environmental Planning Division, Alberta Environment, Southern Alberta Recreation Enhancement Study, Outline (Edmonton, December 1974), p. 2. 3Ibid., p. 3 RECREATION PLANNING During the twenty year period from 1951 to 1971 the urban population of the Old- man River Region increased from 46% to 61%. This trend of urbanization is an on-going process. The residents of the area are more mobile and have more leisure time and income at their disposal than in the past. The positive changes in these socio-economic factors have brought with them an increasing demand for recreation. In addition to the serious shortage of recreational facilities the preliminary plan for the Oldman River Region delineates the problem of "a lack of a systematic approach to out­ door recreation in the region, resulting in little coordination in the provision of recreation areas, facilities or programs by municipal, provincial and federal levels of government."1 The inventory of lakes and lake shorelands completed in this report is a first step in a systematic approach to the satisfaction of waterbased recreational demands. 0 o Oldman River Regional Planning Commission, Preliminary Regional Plan — Oldman River Region (Leth­ bridge, 1974), p. 35. THE OLDMAN RIVER REGION THE REGION DEFINED The Oldman River Region, with the City of Lethbridge as the regional centre, occu­ pies the southwestern corner of Alberta. It covers an area of some 13,200 square miles and has a population of 120,000. Under the planning jurisdiction of the Oldman River Regional Planning Commission, its administrative boundaries are coterminous with the international boundary on the south and the British Columbia Boundary on the west, coming within thirty miles of Calgary on the north and within fifty miles of Medicine Hat on the east. Local administration is divided among thirty-four incorporated communities, seven rural municipalities, two provincially administered improvement districts and two federally administered Indian Reserves. The seven rural municipalities are comprised of the Counties of Lethbridge, Warner, Vulcan, and the Municipal Districts of Taber, Cardston, Pincher Creek and Willow Creek. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The region has a variety of physiographic areas, including prairies, foothills, and mountains. Three-quarters of the region is composed of prairie (the Eastern and Western Plains), about 3,000 feet in elevation; these areas are interrupted by distinctive river valleys creating dramatic contrasts against the relatively flat prairie environment. The Rocky Mountains which occupy the extreme western portion of the region con­ sist of extremely rugged terrain and are dominated by the Continental Divide which rises to elevations exceeding 10,000 feet. The Rocky Mountain ranges, together with a narrow band of foothills, form the headwater of the Oldman River, which is virtually the lifeline of the region. The climate of the region is characterized by short, warm summers, cold winters in­ terrupted by the warm Chinook winds, a relatively low average rainfall and high amount of sunshine. Besides moderating the prairie winter, the Chinook regularly removes snow cover from grazing land, creating more favourable conditions for cattle production. Due to lack of sufficient moisture conditions irrigation is used where practicable. The region also receives more hours of sunshine than any other part of Canada, and this, in combination with its abundant open space, natural beauty, and clean air and water can be perceived as a tremen­ dous