Seasonal contributions of water and pollutants to Lake St. Charles, a drinking water reservoir

Abstract

Surface waters are widely used as sources of drinking water in Canada. The identification of the main sources of pollutants to surface waters, often associated with increasing urbanization, is needed to improve management strategies. We used stable water isotopes (δ18O and δD), and nutrient and fecal coliform mass fluxes to estimate the seasonal contributions of water and pollutants of different inflows to Lake St. Charles (LSC). Our results indicate that out of six identified LSC water sources, groundwater (GW), Hurons River (HR) and small stream tributaries (SSTs) represent the major contributors (in terms of water volume). The three other water sources, including two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), Delage Lake (DL) and precipitation (rain and snow), represent smaller seasonal contributions. During the high-flow seasons (spring and fall), LSC receives water mainly from SSTs and HR, while during the low-flow season (summer), the lake relies mainly on GW inflows. Estimates of point source (WWTPs) versus non-point source (primarily septic installations) concentrations of nutrients and fecal coliforms show that the latter represents a seasonally variable and greater source of pollutants (5% WWTPs vs. 95% septic installations). HR and SSTs, draining densely occupied areas of single housing units with individual septic installations, are categorized as non-point sources, and as such are considered major nutrient and fecal coliform contributors. The higher precipitation in spring and fall caused increased fluxes of nutrients and fecal coliforms through higher stream discharge. Due to the seasonally variable and difficult to predict discharge dynamics of SSTs and HR, these two sources represent a potentially larger threat to LSC water quality. We advocate that improved management requires reducing the number of individual septic installations in the LSC watershed.