Hubbles Lake State of the Watershed Report December 2018 i i North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance 9440 49 Street NW Suite 202 Edmonton, AB T6B 2M9 Tel: (780) 442-6363 Fax: (780) 495-0610 Email: [email protected] http://www.nswa.ab.ca The North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) is a non-profit society whose purpose is to protect and improve water quality and ecosystem functioning in the North Saskatchewan River watershed in Alberta. The organization is guided by a Board of Directors composed of member organizations from within the watershed. It is the designated Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (WPAC) for the North Saskatchewan River under the Government of Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy. This report was prepared by Michelle A. Gordy, Ph.D., Jennifer Regier, B.Sc., Breda Muldoon, M.Sc., and David Trew, B.Sc. of the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance. Suggested Citation: North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA). 2018. Hubbles Lake State of the Watershed Report. Prepared by the NSWA, Edmonton, AB., for the Hubbles Lake Stewardship Society at Hubbles Lake, AB. Available on the internet at http://www.nswa.ab.ca/resources/nswa_publications Hubbles Lake State of the Watershed Report Acknowledgements The NSWA gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the following persons towards the completion of this report: Sal Figliuzzi and Associates, Ltd. for hydrologic expertise and the production of the long-term water balance for Hubbles Lake. Alex Oiffer, M.Sc., P.Geol. - Groundwater Specialist, Alberta Environment and Parks: Policy and Planning Division-Planning Branch for groundwater expertise and providing clarity on characteristics specific to Hubbles Lake. Rolf Vinebrooke, Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc., BFA – Professor of Science in Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta for expertise and data related to water quality in Hubbles Lake. Stephen Spencer, Ph.D. - Senior Fisheries Biologist, Alberta Environment and Parks for expertise and information related to the fish populations in Hubbles Lake. Brian Smerdon, Ph.D., P.Geol. – Manager of Groundwater Inventory at the Alberta Geological Survey and Alberta Energy Regulator for groundwater availability GIS layers and information. Danielle Marcotte R.P.Bio, M.Env. – MacDonald Hydrology Consultants Ltd. for contribution of the pre-settlement and settlement layers and associated calculations for the Hubbles watershed. Arin MacFarlane Dyer, M.Sc., P.Biol. - Integrated Resource Planner, Alberta Environment and Parks for contribution of the most current lake and watershed boundary layers and measurements. Brad Peter, P. Biol. - Executive Director of the Alberta Lake Management Society for information and expertise related to Hubbles Lake water quality. Krista Quesnel, HBSc MES BIT – Manager of Community Sustainability for Parkland County for clarifications on available data related to water licensing and servicing. Sydney Rudko, B.Sc. – School of Public Health at the University of Alberta for contributing data on water quality. Maryellen Shain, M.Sc. – Watershed Planning and Management Coordinator of the NSWA for providing technical advice and content clarification. Mara Erickson, M.Sc. – Extension & Stewardship Coordinator of the Vermillion River Watershed region for assistance in acquiring data. Billie Milholland, B.A. – Communication Coordinator of the NSWA for her assistance in gathering sources of historical information for the settlement of Hubbles Lake and nearby towns. i Hubbles Lake State of the Watershed Report Executive Summary Residents living around Hubbles Lake have expressed concern regarding the health and future of the lake. Their greatest concern is the effect of future development and its impact on lake water quality. Several residents have formed the Hubbles Lake Stewardship Society (HLSS), to promote ecological stewardship and sustainability. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of all available environmental and ecological information for Hubbles Lake and its watershed1. By providing a current state of the watershed, and identifying knowledge gaps, this report establishes a benchmark from which future stewardship and planning initiatives can proceed. Hubbles Lake is regionally unique. The lake is small, but very deep, with several 25-30m potholes. The clear waters are protected from wind, as the lake is surrounded by hills and tree cover. These conditions have produced very defined, thermally stratified layers within the lake, consisting of cooler water, with no dissolved oxygen, at the bottom of lake, and warmer, oxygenated water at the top of the lake. These layers are also defined by differing levels of Phosphorus and Chlorophyll-a, of which both are found at higher concentrations in the lowest layer. Because these biochemical resources are found at the bottom of the lake, there is low, overall productivity in the lake, resulting in an absence of algal blooms, producing clearer waters, but also creating an inhabitable environment for most fish species. The lake is only able to support small populations of fish, like Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, that require less oxygen than other fish species. The overall biodiversity in this Mesotrophic lake is quite low; however, detailed biodiversity surveys are needed. The Hubbles Lake watershed lies in the Dry Mixedwood natural sub-region of Alberta. The landscape is characterized by hummocky terrain, which produces relatively small watersheds for pothole lakes within the landform of the Carvel Pitted Delta. The effective drainage area (EDA) that contributes runoff to the lake is a small, 1.6 km2 region directly surrounding the lake. The lake has no stream inlets or outlets but has some interaction with groundwater. Therefore, the water entering the lake is primarily from runoff and direct input of precipitation from the EDA. The underlying soil and sediment are very permeable, which is a good characteristic for groundwater recharge; however, it also places the groundwater aquifer at risk for contamination by surface activities. Very little is known about the direct connection between groundwater and the lake. Both the groundwater aquifer and lake elevation levels have been dropping consistently over the past 30 years. This trend is consistent with changes in climate that have caused elevated temperatures and decreased precipitation over the same time period. The land within the Hubbles Lake watershed has been highly developed, most densely around the lake perimeter for private residences and resorts. Development has placed a great amount of pressure on the riparian area, by removal of riparian vegetation, and loss of wetlands. It has been estimated that 40% of the shoreline has been developed and less than 50% of the riparian area is intact. Because healthy riparian areas produce many ecosystem services, including erosion prevention, filtration of water contaminants, infiltration of surface water to groundwater, and habitat for wildlife, restoration and protection of this area is of highest priority for future management and stewardship activities. The lake currently has good water quality, and to protect that, a healthy riparian area is needed. 1 Terms in blue can be found in the Glossary ii Hubbles Lake State of the Watershed Report Table of Contents Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................... i Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 What is the purpose? ......................................................................................................................... 1 What is the scope? ............................................................................................................................. 1 What are the concerns? ..................................................................................................................... 2 Hubbles Lake Stewardship Society ................................................................................................ 2 Parkland County ............................................................................................................................. 2 Watershed Basics .........................................................................................................................4 What is a watershed? ......................................................................................................................... 4 How does the water cycle work in a watershed? ............................................................................... 4 How is the land and water connected? .............................................................................................. 7 Hubbles Lake Watershed ............................................................................................................ 11 How extensive is the Hubbles