Muddy Waters: Landcover and Sedimentation in an Urban Lake

As watersheds become increasingly urbanized, managers are faced with the daunting task of understanding environmental impacts on waterways. In particular, loss of natural landcover can lead to higher soil erosion and runoff along creeks and rivers, heavier sediment build-up in ponds and lakes, and decreases in water quality and impoundment capabilities. Here, a multi-agency team of personnel from academic, government, and private sectors in central Virginia is addressing the relationship between changing land use in an urbanized watershed and resulting sedimentation into a typical, small lake within that watershed. Historical lake depth data from the 1970s were mapped and combined with current lake depths to visualize sedimentation patterns, with these maps then being assessed against development maps of the region. Together, this infor-mation is being used by local officials to help mitigate impacts from future development and ultimately to create more sustainable watershed management plans