Wabamun Lake
Encyclopedia
Wabamun Lake is one of the most heavily used lake
s in Alberta
, Canada
. It lies 65 kilometres (40.4 mi) west of Edmonton, Alberta. It is 19.2 kilometres (11.9 mi) long and 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) narrow, covers 82 square kilometres (31.7 sq mi) and is 11 meters deep at its deepest(36 ft), with somewhat clear water.
Its name derives from the Cree
word for mirror.
Wabamun was reputedly the best whitefish
lake in the Edmonton area and is well known for its large northern pike
. A large variety of migrating
, breeding and moulting wildfowl visit the lake because heat
emitted by the power station
s at Wabamun, Sundance
and Keephills provides year-round open water. Beaver
and muskrat
use the lake while the surrounding upland
supports coyote
s, porcupine
, moose
and white-tailed deer
. There are also reported sightings of cougars
and wolves and bears. Alberta Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that there have been wolf kills of cattle and sheep near Isle Lake (just northwest of Wabamun Lake). There are natural beaches along much of the shoreline, but emergent vegetation restricts their use. The most popular beaches for swimming are the artificially-made one at the provincial park in Moonlight Bay, and the natural one at Seba Beach. There are numerous recreational cottage
s along its shores. Several communities line the north shore of the lake, the largest being the town of Wabamun
. Rich coal
deposits surrounding the lake have been mined by TransAlta for power plants it operates and that are cooled by lake water.
, the Village of Wabamun
, the Summer Village of Point Alison
, and the Hamlet of Fallis
are located on Wabamun Lake's north shore. The Summer Village of Seba Beach
is located on the western shore of the lake, while the Summer Village of Betula Beach
is located on the southern shore. Much of the other land on the southern shore is owned by TransAlta Utilities and used to mine coal for power generation. The Wabamun No. 133A
Indian reserve
, home of the Paul First Nation, and the Summer Village of Kapasiwin
are located on the eastern shore of Wabamun Lake.
greatly stimulated the local economy. Commercial fisheries
used the railway to carry fish by box car to as far away as New York City
. Seba Beach, a community at the lake's western edge, had a whitefish cannery, but this eventually shut down; the vacant building remains in the village. The railway urged summer tourists to visit from Edmonton. In winter, ice
was cut to supply railway refrigeration cars. Coal was transported to a power generating plant in Edmonton, then later used for several power plants on the Wabamun Lake shore.
resulted in marked decrease in fish production so that commercial operations were halted and recreational fishing is presently limited to catch and release. Years of construction activity on the lake's limited watershed
has resulted in lowered water levels. Heavy metals
(aluminium
, chromium
, arsenic
, and copper
) dissolved in the water as a result of coal burning were deemed to be at acceptable levels, but metals in sediment and mercury
in larger pike were found to be excessive. TransAlta has responded with measures to reduce metal and thermal pollution
and plans to decommission one of its power plants. As a result of the Canadian National Railway oil spill, fish from the lake are not recommended for consumption. Walleye
have not been seen in the lake since the mid-1990s, either. The walleye were not native to Lake Wabamun so about 15 years after stocking the Walleye stock either died off or were fished out. They never reproduced in Lake Wabamun so each successive year after stocking the numbers decreased however the sizes increased.
Since April 2010 Transalta has shut down its last powerplant (Wabamun unit 4) that used the lake for its cooling water. Transalt no longer uses the Lake for any of its operations.
At 5:40 a.m. on August 3, 2005, 43 cars of a Canadian National
(CN) freight train derailed near the Whitewood Sands subdivision, spilling up to 1.3 million litre
s (286,000 Imp gallons
or 343,000 US gallons) of heavy bunker C fuel oil
. An estimated 734,000 litres (161,500 Imp gal/194,000 US gal) of the thick, dark material was spread by high winds across 8 kilometres (5 mi) of the surface of Wabamun Lake. (see map)
Volunteers soon began placing booms and absorbent material to protect the shoreline, and brought 230 oil-slicked birds and other wildlife to the Wabamun area for rescue.
One hundred Wabamun Lake residents took part in a five-hour blockade of the CN tracks in protest against what they felt was insufficient action by the railway in cleaning up the spill. The province of Alberta then issued an environmental protection order to ensure that the cleanup proceed.
It was not until four days after the derailment that CN revealed that a "hazardous chemical" had spilled into the lake in addition to the bunker C fuel oil. Residents were told to stop cleaning wildlife and to completely avoid all lake water and well water, even for watering gardens and lawns. The 700,000 litres (154,000 Imp gal/185,000 US gal) of Imperial Pole Treating Oil that had escaped from a ruptured, derailed tank car contained naphthalene
and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
s listed as "highly toxic" and suspected of being carcinogen
s.
Further outrage and condemnation have come against CN for not informing the community earlier of the hazard before many people, including children, were avoidably exposed. The provincial government is weighing demands that it institute criminal charges against CN officers for the delay.
CN released a statement on October 18, 2005, that estimates the railroad's financial obligation for cleanup from the spill to cost an estimated $
28 million, with remaining costs covered by insurance.
In the spring of 2006 after the ice melted off the lake additional clean up operations had to begin as tar balls began to surface.
On May 25, 2009, CN plead guilty to three charges related to the oil spill. The company, along with federal and provincial prosecutors, made a joint submission for fines totaling $1.4 million.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It lies 65 kilometres (40.4 mi) west of Edmonton, Alberta. It is 19.2 kilometres (11.9 mi) long and 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) narrow, covers 82 square kilometres (31.7 sq mi) and is 11 meters deep at its deepest(36 ft), with somewhat clear water.
Its name derives from the Cree
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
word for mirror.
Wabamun was reputedly the best whitefish
Freshwater whitefish
The freshwater whitefish are fish of the subfamily Coregoninae in the salmon family Salmonidae. Along with the freshwater whitefish, the Salmonidae includes the freshwater and anadromous trout and salmon species as well as graylings...
lake in the Edmonton area and is well known for its large northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
. A large variety of migrating
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, breeding and moulting wildfowl visit the lake because heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
emitted by the power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s at Wabamun, Sundance
Sundance Power Station
Sundance Power Station is a coal fired station owned by TransAlta Corp., located 70 km west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Lake Wabamun. It comprised six units ; both 280MW units were taken out of service in mid-December 2010 and determined to be beyond economic repair .Units 1 and 2 operated...
and Keephills provides year-round open water. Beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
and muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
use the lake while the surrounding upland
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
supports coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
, moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
and white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
. There are also reported sightings of cougars
Cougars
Cougars is a Chicago-based rock band signed to the New York-based label Go-Kart Records.The Cougars' music is often compared to that of Rocket from the Crypt...
and wolves and bears. Alberta Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that there have been wolf kills of cattle and sheep near Isle Lake (just northwest of Wabamun Lake). There are natural beaches along much of the shoreline, but emergent vegetation restricts their use. The most popular beaches for swimming are the artificially-made one at the provincial park in Moonlight Bay, and the natural one at Seba Beach. There are numerous recreational cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s along its shores. Several communities line the north shore of the lake, the largest being the town of Wabamun
Wabamun, Alberta
Wabamun is a village located west of Edmonton in central Alberta, Canada.- Demographics :The population of the Village of Wabamun according to its 2009 municipal census is 662....
. Rich coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits surrounding the lake have been mined by TransAlta for power plants it operates and that are cooled by lake water.
Communities
The Summer Village of LakeviewLakeview, Alberta
Lakeview is a summer village in central Alberta located on Wabamun Lake. It is located within Parkland County, but is administered autonomously.-History:Lakeview was established in 1913; before that time, it was part of the village of Wabamun....
, the Village of Wabamun
Wabamun, Alberta
Wabamun is a village located west of Edmonton in central Alberta, Canada.- Demographics :The population of the Village of Wabamun according to its 2009 municipal census is 662....
, the Summer Village of Point Alison
Point Alison, Alberta
Point Alison is a summer village in Alberta, Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Wabamun Lake, and south of the village of Wabamun.- Demographics :...
, and the Hamlet of Fallis
Fallis, Alberta
Fallis is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Parkland County. It is located on Highway 16, approximately west of Spruce Grove.- Demographics :The population of Fallis according to Parkland County's 2009 municipal census is 54.- References :...
are located on Wabamun Lake's north shore. The Summer Village of Seba Beach
Seba Beach, Alberta
Seba Beach is a summer village located west of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. The main employer to those within the village and surrounding area is the Sundance Generating Plant, a coal-fired power plant located on the south side of the lake, owned and operated by TransAlta Utilities.A large...
is located on the western shore of the lake, while the Summer Village of Betula Beach
Betula Beach, Alberta
-Demographics:In 2006, Betula Beach had a population of 15 living in 29 dwellings, a 50.0% increase from 2001. The summer village has a land area of and a population density of .-References:...
is located on the southern shore. Much of the other land on the southern shore is owned by TransAlta Utilities and used to mine coal for power generation. The Wabamun No. 133A
Wabamun 133A, Alberta
Wabamun 133A is an Indian reserve in central Alberta, Canada in Division No. 11. It is located within Parkland County on the east shore of Lake Wabamun and is home to the Paul First Nation...
Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
, home of the Paul First Nation, and the Summer Village of Kapasiwin
Kapasiwin, Alberta
Kapasiwin, formerly Kepasiwin and Wabamun Beach, is a summer village in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the eastern shore of Wabamun Lake, south of Wabamun Lake Provincial Park and the Yellowhead Highway...
are located on the eastern shore of Wabamun Lake.
History
Development of the Grand Trunk Pacific RailwayGrand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
greatly stimulated the local economy. Commercial fisheries
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
used the railway to carry fish by box car to as far away as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Seba Beach, a community at the lake's western edge, had a whitefish cannery, but this eventually shut down; the vacant building remains in the village. The railway urged summer tourists to visit from Edmonton. In winter, ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
was cut to supply railway refrigeration cars. Coal was transported to a power generating plant in Edmonton, then later used for several power plants on the Wabamun Lake shore.
Ecological damage
Intensive exploitation of lake resources and habitat destructionHabitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
resulted in marked decrease in fish production so that commercial operations were halted and recreational fishing is presently limited to catch and release. Years of construction activity on the lake's limited watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
has resulted in lowered water levels. Heavy metals
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
(aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
, chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
) dissolved in the water as a result of coal burning were deemed to be at acceptable levels, but metals in sediment and mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
in larger pike were found to be excessive. TransAlta has responded with measures to reduce metal and thermal pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
and plans to decommission one of its power plants. As a result of the Canadian National Railway oil spill, fish from the lake are not recommended for consumption. Walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
have not been seen in the lake since the mid-1990s, either. The walleye were not native to Lake Wabamun so about 15 years after stocking the Walleye stock either died off or were fished out. They never reproduced in Lake Wabamun so each successive year after stocking the numbers decreased however the sizes increased.
Since April 2010 Transalta has shut down its last powerplant (Wabamun unit 4) that used the lake for its cooling water. Transalt no longer uses the Lake for any of its operations.
Oil spill
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CN) freight train derailed near the Whitewood Sands subdivision, spilling up to 1.3 million litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
s (286,000 Imp gallons
Imperial unit
The system of imperial units or the imperial system is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which was later refined and reduced. The system came into official use across the British Empire...
or 343,000 US gallons) of heavy bunker C fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
. An estimated 734,000 litres (161,500 Imp gal/194,000 US gal) of the thick, dark material was spread by high winds across 8 kilometres (5 mi) of the surface of Wabamun Lake. (see map)
Volunteers soon began placing booms and absorbent material to protect the shoreline, and brought 230 oil-slicked birds and other wildlife to the Wabamun area for rescue.
One hundred Wabamun Lake residents took part in a five-hour blockade of the CN tracks in protest against what they felt was insufficient action by the railway in cleaning up the spill. The province of Alberta then issued an environmental protection order to ensure that the cleanup proceed.
It was not until four days after the derailment that CN revealed that a "hazardous chemical" had spilled into the lake in addition to the bunker C fuel oil. Residents were told to stop cleaning wildlife and to completely avoid all lake water and well water, even for watering gardens and lawns. The 700,000 litres (154,000 Imp gal/185,000 US gal) of Imperial Pole Treating Oil that had escaped from a ruptured, derailed tank car contained naphthalene
Naphthalene
Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings...
and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...
s listed as "highly toxic" and suspected of being carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
s.
Further outrage and condemnation have come against CN for not informing the community earlier of the hazard before many people, including children, were avoidably exposed. The provincial government is weighing demands that it institute criminal charges against CN officers for the delay.
CN released a statement on October 18, 2005, that estimates the railroad's financial obligation for cleanup from the spill to cost an estimated $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
28 million, with remaining costs covered by insurance.
In the spring of 2006 after the ice melted off the lake additional clean up operations had to begin as tar balls began to surface.
On May 25, 2009, CN plead guilty to three charges related to the oil spill. The company, along with federal and provincial prosecutors, made a joint submission for fines totaling $1.4 million.