Studies show that a popular East Kootenay lake now has more disturbed shoreline than natural — a situation not seen in any other surveyed lakes in British Columbia’s (BC) Columbia Basin.
The national nonprofit organization Living Lakes Canada1 (Living Lakes) commissioned a Foreshore Integrated Management Planning (FIMP) study of Lake Windermere, a beautiful recreational lake tucked between the Rocky and Purcell mountain ranges in BC’s southern interior and banked by the communities of Invermere and Windermere, back in 2020.
The study found that shoreline was impacted from a number of sources, including from on-water activities such as boating (which can cause higher erosion on shorelines from waves), as well as from human activity along the lake’s edges. For example, riparian and aquatic vegetation is often removed to build marinas, retaining walls and docks, causing intentional disturbance to the shoreline.
Why does this matter? Shorelines are an integral part of any lake ecosystem, providing habitat for life such as nesting birds, plants, bugs and other aquatic creatures. They also help filter pollutants and prevent erosion. A disturbed shoreline refers to the percentage of shoreline that has been altered by human activity, including to substrates, vegetation or the shoreline itself (such as the installation of retaining walls or docks). Levels of impact are considered by looking at both the length of a shoreline segment and the depth of the foreshore zone area3
Lake Windermere’s study was part of a larger project overseen by Living Lakes Canada in collaboration with local government, First Nations and other project partners. The goal was to survey and inventory shoreline modifications as well as to assess ecological, cultural and archaeological values. This work has been used to provide evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers, rights holders and shoreline property owners. It also supports more collaborative and inclusive lake management planning.
“Through these surveys, we’ve been able to track changes in shoreline development over time. Six of the 10 lakes we assessed had been previously surveyed 10 to 15 years ago, allowing us to analyze development trends and ecological shifts,” says Georgia Peck, program manager with Living Lakes Canada.
The study also found that the West Kootenay’s Kootenay Lake experienced the most shoreline disturbance in the last nine years — over 453 metres. However, while that’s the most in terms of raw distance, the rate of change across the lakes Living Lakes studied was rather consistent, regardless of the jurisdiction. St. Mary Lake had the highest annual rate of change at 47 m per year. The rate of change was skewed by one large development. Even so, St. Mary Lake has 31% private land available of which currently only 40-50% is in a natural state. If this land was developed in a similar manner to the existing private land, the amount of disturbed land would increase significantly.
“It really emphasizes how much impact just one property owner can have. Lake Windermere showed smaller changes, but these small changes are accumulating over time, causing substantial losses in natural habitat and cultural values,” explains Georgia. “That’s why it’s so important that shoreline development and lake management receive more attention and effort.”
One thing the Columbia Basin work has helped highlight is the lack of inclusivity in shoreline assessments. While the FIMP protocol has been in use since the early 2000s, until recently it focused largely on ecological values, without consideration for Indigenous perspectives or cultural values. Living Lakes Canada is now working with Syilx Nations in the Okanagan to revise the process. Their goal is to ensure First Nations partners are meaningfully involved from start to finish and are represented equally in lake management decision-making.
Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework
Another unique project overseen by Living Lakes Canada is the Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework. This is a coordinated effort to monitor climate and other impacts on water, and to support stewardship, restoration and water management. This initiative came about, describes Georgia, when Living Lakes saw that “significant gaps” were making it harder for decision-makers to access information needed to properly manage and protect water resources.
Living Lakes established this network in 2022 to share information collected by the organization and a team of volunteers and partners across the basin. More than 100 sites are now actively monitored, tracking everything from snowpack and streamflow to lake and wetland levels and groundwater aquifers.
All the data is stored and shared through the Columbia Basin Water Hub, an open-source online database Living Lakes developed in 2017. The Water Hub houses more than 6.8 million data points, 414 datasets, and more than 180 unique resources, including reports, photos, videos, articles and oral histories, with contributions from more than 50 groups.
To learn more about how this data is used, read their latest Watershed Bulletin.
From data to decisions
Data from projects like the Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework and the Foreshore Integrated Management Planning project help shape discussions around water with scientifically-grounded information.
“Much of the data we collect through these projects can be used to inform discussions, education and decision-making—especially when it comes to the recreational impacts on our water bodies,” says Georgia.
Aside from particular projects like those noted above, Living Lakes also offers a range of educational and training opportunities — youth programs, community workshops, water stewardship training, CABIN monitoring certification and more, all designed to help educate, inform decision making and protect our most precious resource: water. Living Lakes and Wildsight have collaborated on numerous projects through the years, including the recent creation of Watershed Matters, a set of lessons that invite high school students to explore and engage in learning about watersheds, including how water is managed, why water quality is important and the value our watersheds hold for all stakeholders within a community.
- Living Lakes Canada’s mission is to facilitate collaboration in monitoring, restoration, and policy development initiatives for the long-term protection of lakes, rivers, wetlands, and watersheds across Canada. The organization runs programs that support water health across Canada.
- This zone includes the first 30-metres of land around a lake, river, or bay and is often seen as a ribbon of life because it supports 70% of land-based wildlife and 90% of aquatic species at some point in their lifetime (Kipp & Callaway, 2003). Wildlife will use this area for food, water, shelter, breeding, and nesting. https://watersheds.ca/creating-a-resilient-shoreline-keeping-a-natural-shoreline-that-benefits-your-family-and-local-wildlife%5B/efn_note%5D assessed.
As the report states: “Unfortunately, these impacts can diminish the natural values that draw people to live and recreate along the foreshore in the first place. Ultimately, the goal is to maintain a balance between anthropogenic and natural values to the benefit of all residents and species that rely upon the lake.”2Windermere Lake Foreshore Integrated Management Planning study page 2