Post on 21-Mar-2020
Investigating the Dynamic Hydrology of Garibaldi Lake
By: Tenea Dillman
Host Faculty Member: Steve Quane
Abstract:
Garibaldi Lake is located north of Squamish, BC at an elevation of 1470 meters, roughly 1100
meters above the Cheakamus valley and highway 99. This alpine lake is held in by an
archetypically unstable ice-contact volcanic deposit, The Barrier. Springing from the base of The
Barrier is Rubble Creek, which is assumed to be the primary outflow from the lake (besides a
seasonal overflow stream). Very little is known about the dynamics of this hydrological system,
hence I designed a monitoring system to quantify its behaviour. The monitoring system
comprises: the volumetric discharge of outflows, volumetric discharge of inflows, and the
subsequently changing volume of Garibaldi Lake. Questions explored throughout this paper
include: How do seasonal glacial and snowpack melt input affect the water level of the lake and
the outflow at both Rubble Creek and the overflow creek? Does Rubble Creek respond to
changes in lake behaviour (thus acting as a participant in the hydrodynamic system)? And, is
there a correlation between lake level and outflow levels? Using this method, I can begin to
monitor intermediate (seasonal) to long term (yearly) behavior of the Garibaldi Lake-Barrier-
Rubble Creek hydrodynamic system. Preliminary results show correlation between lake water
level behaviour and overflow creek discharge. It is probable that the lake water level is directly
responding to glacial and snowpack melt. However, it is yet unclear the degree to which the
flow in Rubble Creek dependent on the rest of the hydrodynamic system.
Introduction:
Garibaldi Lake, elevation 1470 m, is located about 25 km north of Squamish, BC (1100 m above
highway 99) and is a popular hiking destination, renowned for its beauty and unique geological
origin. Yet, many questions remain regarding hydrological processes controlling its behavior.
For example, how do seasonal glacial and snowpack melt input affect the water level of the lake
and the outflow at both Rubble Creek and the overflow creek? Does Rubble Creek respond to
changes in lake behaviour (thus acting as a participant in the hydrodynamic system)? And, is
there a correlation between lake level and outflow levels? To investigate this I designed a
monitoring program for the Garibaldi Lake/Rubble Creek hydrological system. The objective of
this monitoring system is to answer the above questions. This site is both unique and very
interesting due to the lake’s formation through volcanic and glacial activity.
During the Pleistocene epoch the land around present day Garibaldi Park was covered by the
Cordilleran Ice Sheet (Clague, J., Ward, B., 2012). About 11,000 years ago the combination of
both valley and mountain glacier retreat resulted in an ice free window between 1000m and
1500m elevation (Mathews, W.H., 1952). An eruption from Clinker Peak extruded a lava flow
which, while flowing down gradient towards the Cheakamus valley, collided with the 1 km thick
remnant valley glacier. The lava ponded and solidified in a wall (about 300 m tall) against the
glacier, forming the geological phenomenon termed The Barrier. The Barrier acts as a dam in
the valley, allowing run off water to collect behind it and form Garibaldi Lake (Mathews, W.H.,
1956).
The waters comprising Garibaldi Lake are a combination of glacial melt water from Sphinx
Glacier, Sentinel Glacier, and small mountain streams. These small mountain run offs arise
mostly from precipitation and snow melt. Lake inflow and outflow locations are outlined in
Figure 1. Rubble Creek, located to the west of Garibaldi Lake is the main outflow of this alpine
lake hydrological system, however there is also a seasonal overflow creek on the western bank
of Garibaldi Lake that flows into Lesser Garibaldi and Barrier lakes. Rubble Creek springs from
the base of The Barrier at an elevation of about 965 m and flows directly into the Cheakamus
River (under highway 99). It has an average flow rate between 2 and 4 m3/s (Quane, S.L. and
Stockwell, J. 2014). Garibaldi Lake’s overflow creek is referred to as Rubble Creek in both
Garibaldi Provincial Park, Natural History Themes (BC ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks,
1992) and Physical Limnology and Sedimentation in a Glacial Lake (Mathews, W.H., 1956),
however, for clarity, I will refer to it as “the overflow creek” as it does not appear to connect to
the springs at the base of The Barrier except for during major precipitation events.
In this project, I designed a monitoring program for the Garibaldi Lake hydrological system. I
created a monitoring method for each component of the model, including the discharge of
outflows, discharge of inflows, and the volume of Garibaldi Lake. Using the system detailed
below, I can now, for the first time, monitor intermediate (seasonal) to long term (yearly)
behavior of the Garibaldi Lake-Barrier-Rubble Creek hydrologic system.
Methods:
The main goal of this study is to quantify and monitor the inflow and the outflow from Garibaldi
Lake as well as the resulting change in lake level. Following, I detail the methods by which I
have assessed each parameter.
Discharge of Inflows:
As seen in Figure 1, Garibaldi Lake has sixteen inflow locations. Due to the steep topography
surrounding Garibaldi Lake, it is only possible to measure discharge at two of these locations,
Sphinx and Sentinel creeks (represented by IN10D and IN7D, respectively, in Figure 1) on the
eastern end of the lake. At those locations, I was able to directly measure volumetric flow rate
through the method of salt dilution gauging (Moore R.D., 2003) on June 26th, 2015 and July 21st,
2015. In order to best approximate the total inflow into Garibaldi Lake, I had to approximate
flow in the remaining inputs. In order to assess the importance of a certain inflow source, I
developed a rating system. I numbered and labeled each inflow according to this system:
A- No observable flow, but evidence for seasonal flow (evidence defined as a permanent
fluvial channel extending past local snow melt).
B- Flowing stream. Estimated rate less than 0.5 m3/s.
C- Flowing stream. Estimated rate more than 0.5 m3/s, but less than 1 m3/s.
D- Flowing stream. Estimated rate more than 1 m3/s.
On June 26th, 2015 and July 21st, 2015 using a 14’ aluminum boat with outboard motor (housed
at the lake by BC Parks) I circumnavigated the lake. In this way, I identified and located lake
inflows. For each inflow found, I took GPS locations as close to shore as possible, assigned a
rating, estimated the flow rate, and photographed the locations. I made estimates visually from
the boat, at up to 10 m distance from shore. They are accurate up to 1 sigma. Two exceptions
to this method are the Sphinx and Sentinel creeks for which the discharge was measured via
salt dilution.
Figure 1: Aerial view of Garibaldi Lake and surrounding geological features (49°55’N, 123°02’W)
showing input and output locations for the Garibaldi Lake system, obtained from Google Earth
(2015). Top of image is North. Each inflow is identified by a blue pin, a number and an
importance rating according to the rating system defined in the text. Both outflows are
identified by a yellow pin, a number and their name.
Discharge of Outflows:
Despite the large number of inflow locations, Garibaldi Lake has only two discernable outflows,
the overflow creek and Rubble Creek (represented by OUT1 Seasonal Overflow and OUT2
Barrier Spring, respectively in Figure 1).
Rubble Creek:
As mentioned previously, Rubble Creek springs from the base of The Barrier (Figure 2). It does
this in several places, before converging at a point approximately one hundred meters down
the valley. The creek is fast moving and turbulent and the creek bed is comprised mostly of
boulder cascade morphology.
Figure 2: Bird’s eye view of Rubble Creek (looking east). In the background The Barrier exists as a
rock face with a large amount of scree around the base. At the bottom of this scree, Rubble
Creek emerges and makes its way down the valley.
Overflow Creek:
Garibaldi Lake’s overflow creek exists seasonally, when snow pack melting and glacial melting
occurs (normally May through early October). While not as turbulent as Rubble Creek, during
high flow periods the current is strong enough to carry large amounts of debris, evidenced by
the several log jams that exist between Garibaldi Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake. A foot bridge
is installed to allow access to the lake campground on the other side (Figure 3).
Figure 3: The overflow creek looking out to Garibaldi Lake (facing approximately west). In the
foreground a foot bridge crosses the dry creek bed that will eventually carry overflow water into
Lesser Garibaldi Lake. Support beams for this bridge are attached to the rock face and cement
footing as seen in Figure 5. In the background Garibaldi Lake remains frozen (photo taken in
early May).
In order to continuously measure the discharge of Rubble Creek and the overflow creek I
employed a Solinst Levelogger Junior Edge (a pressure sensor data logger) and a Solinst
Levelogger Edge Barologger (an atmospheric pressure sensor data logger) to each area. Data
from the Junior Edge logger is compensated with the Barologger in order to obtain water
pressure only. Measurements are made once per hour, on the hour. This provided a continuous
data set of stream stage (also referred to as water level). The Rubble Creek level logger and
barologger were set up as close as possible to the confluence point of its springs in order to
measure only the spring water, which is hypothesized to be coming from Garibaldi Lake, and
avoid as much precipitation runoff as possible. The over flow creek level logger and barologger
were installed as close to the lake as possible so as to measure only lake flow and avoid
precipitation runoff from the surrounding topography. Figure 4 shows the locations for all three
logger installations.
Figure 4: Aerial view of Garibaldi Lake and surrounding geological features (49°55’N, 123°02’W)
showing locations for data logger installation, obtained from Google Earth (2015). Image is
north facing.
In order to protect the level loggers from debris and other hazards it is hung by sheathed metal
cord inside a six foot ABS pipe (Figure 5). This pipe is then strapped to a permanent feature
using aluminum plumbing tape. The overflow logger is attached to the cement footing below
the bridge, the Rubble Creek logger is attached to a stable boulder and the lake logger is
attached to the BC Parks dock.
Figure 5: Solinst Levelogger Junior Edge set up at the overflow creek. Seen in this photo are
wooden support beams for the bridge crossing. The ABS pipe is attached to a cement footing at
the base of the bridge.
From here I correlate discharge with stage by graphing a stage-discharge curve. To do this I take
discharge measurements at various stages through the process of salt dilution gaging (Moore
R.C., 2003) and graph them against the stage. By covering a wide variety of water levels I am
able to estimate discharge for any point in time via interpolation of this graph (Figure 6).
Assuming the cross sectional area of the stream does not change drastically, the discharge of a
stream correlates strongly with stream stage. However, because this discharge curve can
change, either due to storm events or gradual erosion of the stream bed, it must be updated
constantly by making regular measurements of both stage and discharge and re-graphing. The
same process will be used for Rubble Creek.
Figure 6: Stage Discharge Curve for the overflow creek. Discharge measurements taken via the
salt dilution method are shown as solid dots, while the lines connecting represent interpolated
data.
Lake Volume:
Similar to the outflow measurement stations, I used a Solinst Levelogger Junior Edge to record
the fluctuations in lake water level. It was installed in the same design, within an ABS pipe and
attached to the dock. Measurements are also made once per hour, on the hour. The same
barometer is used to compensate for atmospheric pressure as is used for the overflow creek
because they are on the same elevation and are in similar vicinity.
As a method of confirming the water level changes given by the level loggers, I use a staff gauge
to obtain a separate measurements. A staff gauge is essentially a large ruler with which I read
off a water level measurement compared to a fixed point. This can only be done in person,
which is why I use it only to confirm the measurements obtained by the level logger. At the lake
I measure water level compared to the dock, and at the overflow creek I measure the water
level compared to the cement footing.
Preliminary Results:
Lake Outflow:
Data collected at the Overflow Creek location (Figure 7) shows that Garibaldi Lake began to
overflow on May 22nd, 2015 (about 750 h) and creek stage has generally increased since then.
Initially, water level rose quite steadily and rapidly. However, around late June (approximately
1600 h) the water level dropped slightly before rising again. Since July 9th, 2015 (approximately
2100 h) water level has again dropped slightly.
0.000
0.200
0.400
0.600
0.800
1.000
1.200
0.000 0.500 1.000 1.500 2.000 2.500 3.000 3.500
Stag
e
Discharge
Discharge curve: Stage VS Discharge for the Overflow Creek
Figure 7: Overflow Creek stage. Data set begins on May 7th, 2015 at 17:00 hours and ends on
July 21st, 2015 at 13:00 hours. Points correspond with the left hand vertical axis and represent
the overflow creek stage. Measurements correspond with time, in time points (one per hour), on
the horizontal axis. Water level remained at 0 m until May 22nd 2015 then began a steady
increase. The maximum level achieved between May 7th 2015 and July 21st, 2015 is
approximately 1.1 m, occurring on July 6th, 2015 around mid-day (approximately 2100 h).
Garibaldi Lake water level has also been on a downward trend since July 7th, 2015 (Figure 8).
Prior to July 7th (approximately 50 h), water level had been rising. Around July 18th
(approximately 210 h), water level began to rise again, but only slightly before beginning to fall
again around July 21st (approximately 280 h).
Figure 8: Garibaldi Lake water level. Data set begins on July 9th, 2015 at 15:00 hours and end on
July 21st, 2015 at 15:00 hours. Points correspond with the left hand vertical axis and represent
lake level. Measurements correspond with time, in time points (one per hour), on the horizontal
axis. Maximum level achieved was approximately 1.5 m, occurring on July 11th, 2015.
1.4
1.42
1.44
1.46
1.48
1.5
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Wat
er L
evel
(m
)
Time Points (h)
Garibaldi Lake Water Level
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
Stag
e (m
)
Time Points (h)
Overflow Creek Water Level Over Time
During the period of July 9th, 2015 to July 21st, 2015, the level from Garibaldi Lake and the
overflow creek show a similar pattern (Figure 9). Both water levels are rising until around July
7th (approximately 50 h), when they began to fall until July 18th (approximately 210 h) and rise
slightly until July 21st (approximately 280 h) when they both began to fall again.
Figure 9: Water levels of Garibaldi Lake and Overflow Creek over time. Both data sets begin on
July 9th, 2015 at 15:00 hours and end on July 21st, at 15:00 hours. The orange points correspond
with the left hand vertical axis and represent the overflow creek stage. The blue points
correspond with the right hand vertical axis and represent lake level. Measurements correspond
with time, in time points (one per hour), on the horizontal axis.
The general trend for water level in Rubble Creek is a steady, slow increase (Figure 10).
Maximum water level achieved was 0.357 m on July 15th, 2015. Shortly after this the water level
drops quickly, then recommences its gradual increase at a similar rate. It is uncertain whether
the cause of this sharp drop of 3.5 cm is natural or an artifact in the data collection method.
Measurements began at Rubble Creek at a water level of 0.321 m (July 9th, 2015 at 15:00 hours)
and ended at a level of 0.347 m (July 21st, 2015 at 10:00 hours) resulting in a net increase of
0.026 m (or 2.6 cm) over the course of this time.
1.4
1.41
1.42
1.43
1.44
1.45
1.46
1.47
1.48
1.49
1.02
1.03
1.04
1.05
1.06
1.07
1.08
1.09
1.1
1.11
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Gar
ibal
di L
ake
(m)
Ove
rflo
w C
ree
k (m
)
Time Points (h)
Water Levels of Garibaldi Lake and Overflow Creek Over Time
Figure 10: Rubble Creek stage. Data set begins on July 2nd, 2015 at 17:00 hours and ends on July
21st, 2015 at 10:00 hours. Points correspond with the left hand vertical axis and represent
Rubble Creek stage. Measurements correspond with time, in time points (one per hour), on the
horizontal axis. Maximum level achieved was approximately 0.357 m, occurring on July 15th,
2015.
Rubble Creek and Garibaldi Lake water levels do not appear to be directly and simply correlated
(Figure 11). Over the same time span the lake level appears to be falling, opposed to Rubble
Creek which appears to be rising. I hope that the nature of this relationship can be elucidated
through future continuous monitoring.
Figure 11: Rubble Creek stage compared to lake level fluctuations. Both data sets begin on July
9th, 2015 at 15:00 hours and end on July 21st, 2015 at 10:00 hours. The orange points
0.2
0.22
0.24
0.26
0.28
0.3
0.32
0.34
0.36
0.38
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Stag
e (
m)
Time Points (h)
Rubble Creek Stage
0.3
0.31
0.32
0.33
0.34
0.35
0.36
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
1.4
1.41
1.42
1.43
1.44
1.45
1.46
1.47
1.48
1.49
Ru
bb
le C
ree
k St
age
(m)
Time Points (h)
Lake
Lev
el (
m)
Rubble Creek Stage Compared to Lake Level Over Time
correspond with the left hand vertical axis and represent lake level. The blue points correspond
with the right hand vertical axis and represents Rubble Creek stage. Measurements correspond
with time, in time points (one per hour), on the horizontal axis.
Lake Inflow:
Lake inflow locations, identified during the June 26th, 2015 circumnavigation of Garibaldi Lake,
are shown in Figure 1. There are sixteen separate inflows to Garibaldi Lake and two outflows.
One of these outflows, “OUT1 seasonal overflow”, occurs only seasonally during the periods of
high glacial melting (normally May through early October). Only two of the inflows contribute
more than 1 m3/s volumetric flow: Sphinx creek and Sentinel creek, both of which originate at
their respective glaciers (Figure 1).
Table 1: Garibaldi Lake inflows, estimated June 26th 2015
Name Latitude
(N) Longitude (W)
Rating Estimation (m3/s)
IN1B 49.92839 -123.039 B 0.100
IN2B 49.91201 -123.017 B 0.005
IN3B 49.91146 -123.016 B 0.020
IN4B 49.90747 -123.012 B 0.500
IN5B 49.90725 -123.011 B 0.500
IN6A 49.90478 -123.006 A 0.000
IN7D (Sentinel ) 49.90583 -123.004 D 0.300
IN8B 49.91873 -122.998 B 0.050
IN9B 49.91957 -122.997 B 0.500
IN10D (Sphinx) 49.92853 -122.994 D 2.280
IN11B 49.93804 -123.002 B 0.500
IN12C 49.94342 -123.011 C 0.700
IN13A 49.94516 -123.018 A 0.000
IN14A 49.94681 -123.027 A 0.000
IN15B 49.95079 -123.041 B 0.300
IN16B 49.94851 -123.047 B 0.020
Total 5.775 For each inflow the coordinates, rating and estimation is given. The estimated cumulative inflow
for Garibaldi Lake totalled 5.775 m3/s on June 26th, 2015. Sphinx and Sentinel creeks account for
2.58 m3/s of this total.
Table 2: Garibaldi Lake inflows, estimated on July 21st 2015
Name Latitude (N)
Longitude (W)
Rating Estimation (m3/s)
IN1B 49.92839 -123.039 B 0.100
IN2B 49.91201 -123.017 B 0.050
IN3B 49.91146 -123.016 B 0.010
IN4B 49.90747 -123.012 B 0.040
IN5B 49.90725 -123.011 B 0.040
IN6A 49.90478 -123.006 A 0.000
IN7D (Sentinel ) 49.90583 -123.004 D 1.960
IN8B 49.91873 -122.998 B 0.010
IN9B 49.91957 -122.997 B 0.040
IN10D (Sphinx) 49.92853 -122.994 D 0.550
IN11B 49.93804 -123.002 B 0.200
IN12C 49.94342 -123.011 C 0.300
IN13A 49.94516 -123.018 A 0.015
IN14A 49.94681 -123.027 A 0.000
IN15B 49.95079 -123.041 B 0.030
IN16B 49.94851 -123.047 B 0.005
Total 3.350 For each inflow the coordinates, rating and estimation is given. The estimated cumulative inflow
for Garibaldi Lake totalled 3.350 m3/s on July 23rd, 2015. Sphinx and Sentinel creeks account for
2.510 m3/s of this total.
Compared to estimations made on June 26th, 2015 (Table 1), inflow rate had decreased by July
23rd, 2015 (Table 2). Total flow rate decreased by 2.425 m3/s. Sentinel Creek increased by 0.250
m3/s, however Sphinx Creek decreased by 0.320 m3/s and the cumulative inflow from the
smaller streams decreased by 2.355 m3/s.
For descriptions and photographs of each inflow see Appendix A.
Estimates for several inflow creeks outlined above were made previously in 1982 and published
in Garibaldi Lake Natural History Themes, BC Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks
(Revised June 1992). For a table summarizing these values see Appendix B.
Discussion:
Over the course of the near two week period exhibited in Figure 9, water levels of both
Garibaldi Lake and the overflow creek fluctuated in correspondence. This correlation suggests
that the behaviour of these features are connected; as lake inflow increases, raising water level,
the outflow from the lake will increase mediating the effects. Likewise, as the inflows decrease,
lake level will decrease and less water will overflow. If the overflow creek is the only outflow
source for Garibaldi Lake then the water level of the lake would not drop below creek bed
height (barring any evaporation). However, as it is assumed that Rubble Creek is an additional
outflow, the lake level will likely drop significantly further during the low-inflow winter months.
During the hour between July 15th, 2015, 23:00 hours, and July 16th, 2015, 0:00 hours, Rubble
Creek water level dropped 3.5 cm (Figure 11). This seems unusual, however it is possible.
Conceivably, this was a glitch when the total pressure was compensated with the atmospheric
pressure from the barometer. Despite this one anomaly, Rubble Creek stage experiences a
generally increasing trend between July 9th, 2015 and July 21st, 2015. As seen in Figure 11,
Garibaldi Lake is not correlating with this behaviour. Over the same time span the lake appears
to follow a downward trend, opposed to upward. This does not necessarily mean that Rubble
Creek is not acting as a participating part of the hydrodynamic system, however, as due to the
large distance covered via ground water the reactions could merely be delayed. General
patterns in water level behaviour will become clearer once data is collected over a longer time
period. Over the course of a year I am expecting Rubble Creek water level to form a generally
increasing trend in the late summer when lake level is highest and a generally decreasing trend
in the winter when the lake level is lowest, due to the changes in hydraulic head.
According to our estimations (Table 1 and Table 2), the inflow to Garibaldi Lake is decreasing. If
the amount of outflow over exceeds the inflows, the lake level will drop and the overflow creek
will slow and/or stop all together. This correlates with the general trends experienced by the
water level in the lake; between June 26th, 2015 and July 21st, 2015, inflow is decreasing and, as
of July 11th, 2015 (Figure 8) the water level of the lake has been decreasing as well. One
possible hypothesis is that the rate of inflow followed a similar pattern to that of the lake water
level. This would mean that the inflow rate was rising when the first measurements and
estimations took place on June 25th, 2015, but then began decreasing sometime between then
and July 21st, 2015 (possibly sometime around July 11th, 2015) causing the decrease in lake
water level. At this time this is merely speculation however, and general trends will become
clearer once data is collected over a longer time period.
Using data collected throughout the next year, a model will be created to compare the transfer
of water throughout the system. From here we can extrapolate where and how the water is
traveling, whether or not Rubble Creek responds to lake behaviour, whether or not the
measureable inflows are equivalent to measureable outflows, and gain a more comprehensive
understanding of the dynamics within this hydrological system.
Citations
BC ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (1992). Garibaldi Provincial Park, Natural History
Themes.
Buchanan, T.J., and Somers, W.P., (1969). Discharge measurements at gaging stations: U.S.
Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 3, chap A8, 65 p
Clague, J., Ward, B., (2012). Chapter 44 - Pleistocene Glaciation of British Columbia, In: Jürgen
Ehlers, Philip L. Gibbard and Philip D. Hughes, Editor(s), Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and
Chronology: A Closer Look. Developments in Quaternary Sciences, Elsevier, 2011, Volume 15,
Pages 563-573.
Eamus, D., (2014). Groundwater – Catchment water balance, Climate and Groundwater. In
Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS). Developed under the Auspices of the UNESCO,
Eolss Publishers, Paris, France, [http://www.eolss.net].
Mathews, W.H., (1956), Physical limnology and sedimentation in a glacial lake: Bulletin of the
Geological Society of America, Vol. 67, pgs. 537-552.
Mathews, W.H., (1952), Ice-dammed lavas from Clinker Mountain, southwestern British
Columbia: American Journal of Science, Vol. 250, pgs. 553-565.
Moore R.D. (2003). Introduction to Salt Dilution Gauging for Streamflow Measurement: Part 1.
Streamline Watershed Management Bulletin. Vol.7/No. 4 (Winter).
Moore R.D. (2004). Introduction to Salt Dilution Gauging for Streamflow Measurement: Part 2.
Streamline Watershed Management Bulletin Vol. 8/No. 1. (Fall).
Moore R.D. (2005). Introduction to Salt Dilution Gauging for Streamflow Measurement: Part 3.
Streamline Watershed Management Bulletin Vol. 8/No. 2. (Spring).
Minnesota Department of Resources, (2007). Measuring Lake Levels. Retrieved from:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/surfacewater_section/lake_hydro/lake_level_gaging.pdf
Province of British Columbia, (2015, January). BC Geographical Names. Retrieved From:
http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9718.html
Quane, S.L. and Stockwell, J. (2014). Fire and Ice: Revealing Potential Hazards at Garibaldi Lake,
British Columbia. Submitted to National Geographic Waitt Grant Program
United States Geological Survey, (2014, March). How Streamflow is Measured. Retrieved from:
http://water.usgs.gov/edu/streamflow2.html
Input 1: B. Spring emanating from forested hill formed from the foot of a lava flow.
Input 2: B. Table Bay. Shallow stream emanating from a moderately flat meadow. Suspected
drainage valley for snow melt from the Table area.
Input 3: B. Also located in Table Bay. Likely a divergence of the previous stream in the Table
area. Slightly smaller than relative stream.
Input 4: B. Obvious spring emanating at the contact point between oxidized and non-oxidized
rocks (possibly contact point between lava flow and bedrock) in the upper table area.
Input 5: B. Obvious spring emanating at the contact point between oxidized and non-oxidized
rocks (possibly contact point between lava flow and bedrock) in the upper table area.
Input 6: A. Wide fluvial channel stemming from upper table area.
Input 7: D. Sentinel Creek. Slow, shallow, meandering flow. Extensive braiding. Pools in several
places.
Input 8: B. Thin, emanating from above mountains.
Input 9: B. Somewhat steep. Appears to originate in the mountains directly above, likely an ice
field.
Input 10: D. Sphinx Creek. Wide, moderately paced creek. Creek passes through gap in large
terminal moraine. Melt water accumulates in two lakes formed within the valley which then
overflow into Garibaldi Lake.
Input 11: B. East of Gentian Peak. Steep, fast moving.
Input 12: B. East of Panorama Ridge. Very steep ravine, fast moving water, levels out close to
lake.
Input 13: A. Insignificant stream discharge (~0.001 m^3/s). Large sediment deposit.
Input 14: A. Face of Panorama Ridge. Appears to be significant seasonal flow from local snow
melt.
Input 15: B. Driftwood bay, Mimulus Creek. West of Panorama Ridge. Shallow, wide and slow
moving.
Input 16: B. Closest to overflow creek. Shallow, wide and slow moving.
Appendix B:
Estimates for major tributaries were given previously in Garibaldi Lake Natural History Themes,
BC Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks (Revised June 1992).
Table 3: Major tributaries as outlined by Garibaldi Lake Natural History Themes
Referred to in Natural History Themes
Referred to in my paper
Latitude (N) Longitude (W) Rating My estimate on July 21st 2015
Their estimate on September 13th 1982
Creek D IN2 49.91201 -123.017 B 0.050 0.11
Sentinel IN7 49.90583 -123.004 D 1.960 none
Creek C IN9 49.91957 -122.997 B 0.040 none
Sphinx IN10 49.92853 -122.994 D 0.550 1.43
Creek A IN11 49.93804 -123.002 B 0.200 none
Creek B IN12 49.94342 -123.011 C 0.300 0.07/0.28
Mimulus Creek IN15 49.95079 -123.041 B 0.030 0.04