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A lake classification system : a tool for lake planning in the Thompson-Nicola regional district, British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The goals of the thesis are: 1) to develop a lake classification system for use in planning for regional patterns of lake development; it is presented as one element within a framework for the analysis and allocation of the lake resource to various demands, focusing upon recreational use; 2) to illustrate the application of the lake classification system, to a selection of lakes in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia (TNRD, B.C.). For the purposes of the thesis, lake system planning is defined as that process of systematic analyses and allocation of the lake resource to various competing demands, on a regional scale. One potentially useful step in lake system planning is the application of a lake classification system. The resource method was organized around three parts: 1) a review and critique of existing lake planning methods, focusing upon those taking a regional approach and using a classification scheme; 2) the descriptive elements of the lake resource important to planning; and 3) the demands for the lake resource in the study region. B.C.'s south-central area has hundreds of lakes, some of which are being used for irrigation, salmon rearing habitat, transportation, sewage disposal, domestic supply, tourism, and/or recreation. Some of these uses are increasing annually, creating greater pressures upon the lake resource. Further, the resource itself is a complex system consisting of many interacting, interdependent elements. Thus two factors indicate the need for lake planning and management; 1) the limited supply of the resource and its complex nature; and 2) the demands to use lakes for a variety of purposes, some of which compete and conflict with each other. A lake planning framework can help to achieve a balance between the supply of and the demand for lakes, by manipulating either the supply or the demand, or both. The development of a complete lake system planning process is beyond the scope of this thesis. Therefore it focuses on a classification system as a potentially useful tool within the lake planning process. The proposed classification scheme consists of the following classes: I. Wilderness Lakes, II. Natural Environment Lakes. III. General Use Lakes and Subclass-Developed Lakes, IV. Development Lakes and Subclass-Intensive Use Lakes, and V. Special Case Lakes. The objective, definition, criteria, standards, and recommended management guidelines are presented for each class. Finally, some lakes in the TNRD are used to illustrate the application of the lake classification system.

Text

2010-03-06

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/21608

Planning

University of British Columbia

Graduate