Lake water chemistry and its relationship to shoreline residential development and natural landscape features in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

There is a scarcity of long-term chemical monitoring data for lakes in Algonquin Provincial Park (APP), with minimal understanding of the impacts of cottage-leases (e.g., cottage lots, campgrounds, and commercial leases) on lake water chemistry. We examine spatial patterns in water chemistry and landscape features of 32 reference and 22 cottage-lease lakes in APP. Multivariate techniques were used to examine differences in water chemistry, and to identify the subset of landscape features that best explain this variability. Breakpoint analysis was used to examine the relationship between gradients of water chemistry and specific landscape features. Lakes were separated along a primary gradient of ions and pH and a secondary gradient of nutrients and colour. These gradients were best explained by a combination of six landscape features (wetlands, elevation, lake depth, road length, and coniferous trees). Except for chloride, there was no statistically significant difference in water chemistry between cottage-lease and reference lakes. A roughly west-to-east gradient in catchment vegetation and lake chemistry was related to the location of the Algonquin Dome, a natural geological feature in APP, and the park’s glacial history. These results emphasize the importance of the park’s topography in influencing regional water chemistry.