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Date of Award
Winter 2024
Rights
Access restricted for 2 years to EWU users with an active EWU NetID
Date Available to Non-EWU Users
2026-03-20
Document Type
Thesis: EWU Only
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS) in Biology
Department
Biology
Abstract
This water quality survey determined the sources and fates of nutrients within the Deep Lake watershed located in Stevens County, WA. Deep Lake is a 191-acre exorheic lake found just below the Canadian border in northeast Washington state. It is situated at the bottom of a narrow valley with steep walls and is fed throughout the year by snowmelt from tributaries descending the mountains surrounding it. Above and to the north of the lake, the tributaries are utilized by cattle ranchers as a water source for livestock while a small community of homes surrounds the lake. Water samples, discharge, and metrics including pH, % dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity were taken at 8 locations within the tributaries and outflow of the lake. The same metrics, in addition to water samples and profundal settling sediment samples were recorded in the lake at 4 locations. These data were used to determine the concentrations of nutrients moving through the various tributaries and being deposited in the lake, and how that impacted the trophic status of the lake. In addition, it was used to determine the proportion of nutrients that remain in the lake and what proportion leaves via the outflow. The results of this study showed an increase in nitrogen, phosphorus, and total suspended solids loading at study sites that received frequent cattle activity. It also helped to determine the presence of internal loading occurring in the anoxic hypolimnion that was present during the summer and late fall. These results allow for the development of better land use practices that could improve and protect water quality and health.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kenison, Kiler Austin, "The sources and fates of nutrients in the Deep Lake watershed" (2024). EWU Masters Thesis Collection. 920.
https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/920
