Limnological Assessment of West Point Lake, Georgia
Abstract
West Point Lake is a large hydropower reservoir constructed and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Chattahoochee River in west- central Georgia. Water quality and mixing characteristics are markedly impacted by water and material loads from the river and by within-lake processes. In general, the lake is nutrient-rich and highly productive, and exhibits pronounced patterns in the distribution of chlorophyll and turbidity. Data derived from LANDSAT images and limnological surveys, as well as data resulting from intensive sampling in selected areas, were used to describe and assess observed patterns in the distribution of water quality variables. Cluster analyses identified four distinct lake regions characterized as lake-like with moderate to low nutrients and productivity (cluster 1), turbid nutrient-rich and advective (cluster 4), and intermediate to high in nutrient concentration and turbidity level. The latter regions are potentially sensitive to changes in nutrient input (cluster 2) or turbidity level (cluster 3). Conditions in the tailwater below West Point Dam were influenced by hydrograph changes resulting from hydropower operation, local impacts from inflowing tributaries, and loss reactions, including oxidation, adsorption, and sedimentation. Chlorophyll, Nutrients, Tailwater, Invertebrates, Reservoir, Water quality, LANDSAT, Sediment
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA282881
Entities
People
- John J. Hains
- Robert H. Kennedy
- Steven L. Ashby
- William Jabour