Lakes and Streams
Contributor: Raymond Morgan, AL/UMCES |
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Restoration of Lake Louise
During construction of a major highway in western Maryland in the early 1970's, sulfide-bearing rock material was used as valley fill and for embankments for an interchange at Keysers Ridge. The placement of this material affected the headwater areas of two tributaries to Lake Louise, a small, privately-owned lake that supported a renowned trout fishery. Movement of water through this material resulted in acidic leachate discharge to these tributaries.Approximately 2 years later, catastrophic degradation of the aquatic ecosystems in the tributaries and the lake were documented. Watershed studies identified aluminum leaching as the most likely source of impairment. |
SAPS on tributary 1. |
Passive treatment systems were employed by the Maryland State Highway Administration in the mid-1990's to ameliorate the effects of this acidic discharge. Following restoration of lake and tributary chemistry, an aquatic resource restoration program was implemented to re-establish a viable biotic community in the Lake Louise watershed. This restoration program began in 1999 and included stocking the lake with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).
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| Monitoring program at Lake Louise has included:
* Lake and stream water quality
* Phytoplankton and zooplankton communities
* Stream and lake benthic macroinvertebrates
* Temperature regimes
* Aquatic vegetation
* Physical habitat and particle size analysis of tributaries
* Bioassays |
Rainbow trout in tributary 1. |
 The SAPS have been successful in restoring alkalinity to the lake, as evidenced by the alkalinity levels in Puzzley Run, the outflow from the lake. Alkalinity levels in tributaries 1 and 2 continue to vary and are sometimes low enough to adversely affect trout survival. |
What is a SAPS?
SAPS stands for successive alkalinity producing system. It is an advanced acid mine drainage treatment technology that combines anoxic limestone drains with sulfate reduction mechanisms.
SAPS produce alkalinity and eliminate most problems with metals contamination. |
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