Muriel Lake Basin Management Society

“Oilsands giants create unprecedented alliance to tackle environmental issues. Leaders of 12 majors sign commitment on tailings ponds, greenhouse gas emissions, water and land issues”

Executives from the 12 biggest oilsands producers unite Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Calgary to announce the creation of the Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance. The “overarching collaborative hub” was formed to share information and help advance research and technology to improve environmental practices.Photograph by: Dean Bicknell , Calgary Herald.

Check it out on Edmonton Journal Online:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Oilsands+giants+create+unprecedented+alliance+tackle/6238952/story.html

The Lakehomes in Alberta website had this interesting information about Muriel Lake on their site. Here is a few interesting clips from their site:

“In 1988, landowners near the lake were surveyed for the background report to the Muriel Lake Area Structure Plan review (Alta. Mun. Aff. 1988; 1989). Most respondents (87%) were concerned about water levels in the lake. Other problems cited were poor fishing (54%), shoreline weeds (31%), weeds in the lake (26%) and algae (20%). Water quality was rated, on average, as good to excellent. In a 1976 survey of cottage owners, only 17% of respondents cited poor fishing as a problem, 10% cited algal growth, and only a few people complained of weeds. Variations in the weather, and therefore, changes in the lake level and the concentration of algae, were probably responsible for the differences between the results of the two surveys. In summer, the favourite recreational activities of cottage owners in the 1976 survey were swimming, fishing, power boating, sightseeing, and water skiing. Only 25% of respondents used their cottages in winter and these people mostly went snowmobiling and ice fishing (Alta. Mun. Aff. 1976).”

“Muriel Lake drains an area of 384 km2, but because of the large size of the lake (64.1 km2), the ratio of drainage basin area to lake area is only 6 to 1. Most water flows into the lake from the south and east via several creeks). The largest inflow is a small creek that drains Bluet Lake and Gamier Lake to the south. The area around Sinking Lake, to the west of Muriel Lake, is considered part of the gross drainage basin, but it is unlikely that water levels are ever high enough to allow water to flow from this area into Muriel Lake. The outlet from Muriel Lake, Muriel Creek, flows intermittently from the northeastern bay to nearby Landry Lake, and eventually to the Beaver River.”

“Muriel Lake is a large but rather shallow water body. The maximum depth of 10.7 m is located in a small hole north of the island in the southeast bay. Most of the central part of the lake basin is about 9 m deep. The basin drops off most steeply along the west-central and north-central shores. The lake has three islands, with locations and shapes that vary with water levels. When water levels are lower, as in 1962 when the bathymetry was surveyed, there are two islands in the northeast bay, a peninsula along the eastern shore, and an island in the southeast bay that has a long sand spit extending from its southeast corner. When water levels are sufficiently high, as in 1986, the more southerly island in the northeast basin floods and the peninsula on the eastern shore becomes an island.”

Read more here: http://www.lakehomesinalberta.com/muriel-lake/muriel-lake-info

Want more information about Lake Homes in Alberta, go to:
www.lakehomesinalberta.com

Did you know that there are only 3 oil sands areas in the province which are considered to be “recoverable” – and Muriel Lake is in the middle of one of them!?

Environment Canada says this about oil sands development:
“What Are The Oil Sands? The oil sands are considered to be one of the largest single accumulations of oil in the world. While some deposits of oil sands extend into Saskatchewan, presently the only recoverable resources are located in Alberta in three main regions: Athabasca, Cold Lake, and Peace River (Exhibit A). The deposits underlie 140,200 km2 of boreal forest, muskeg peat bogs and northern prairie ecozones and are estimated to hold 1.7 trillion barrels of crude oil.”

Want more information, check it out here:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/pollution/default.asp?lang=En&n=E9ABC93B-1/

Want more information on surface and groundwater allocation from the Beaver River Basin (includes Muriel Lake).

Alberta Environment has posted this information online:
http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/GWSW/quantity/waterinalberta/allocation/AL4_all_vs_con.html