Big Lake, a relatively little known jewel of the capital region, abuts the northwest corner of Edmonton and the southwest corner of St. Albert. Parkland County borders the lake on the south and Sturgeon County on the north. The lake sits on the sands and gravels of the Empress Formation, an aquifer 30 meters below its surface that was laid down by retreating glacial meltwaters (Big Lake Environmental Support Society [BLESS], 2014, para. 1).
"An aquifer is a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater."
Figure 1. The diagram of the Capital Region and Glacial Lake Edmonton. From Edmonton Beneath Our Feet, by J. Godfrey, 1993.
- The retreat of the last glacier created – literally – the groundwork for future landforms in the Edmonton region
- Glacial Lake Edmonton collected the meltwater left behind during the retreat of the main glacier
- Glacial Lake Edmonton was created by flooding of a pre-glacial river valley (e.g. the Empress Formation)
- The stagnant ice east of the lake formed the Beaver Hills, depositing hummocky mounds of gravel and glacial till (Beaver Hills Initiative [BHI], 2014, p.4).
- After the ice melted and waters drained, superficial geological features emerged over pre-existing geological features (like the Empress Formation).
- Later, those soils and vegetation became established over these features, but the underlying geology shapes the terrain and produces the physical landforms we see today. It also influences how surface water recharges ground water aquifers through the sediment characteristics of superficial layers (BHI, 2014, p.5).
Figure 2. A diagram of the deposits in the Capital Region left behind by receeding glaciers. FromEdmonton Beneath Our Feet, by J. Godfrey, 1993.
Big Lake is part of the 260 km long Sturgeon River that begins at Hoople Lake and flows east to the North Saskatchewan River. Atim Creek flows into Big Lake from the west and Carrot Creek from the north.
Big Lake is about 8 km in length and 3 km at its widest point. At the delta, one of only three birdsfoot deltas to be found in Alberta, the lake narrows to 100m. The lake is shallow, with depths varying between 0.3 to 4.1 m. Banks along the southern shore are steep, directing the lake’s flood waters towards the west, north and east to feed surrounding marshlands during high water years.
Old stands of white spruce grow on the northeast shore of the lake and a deciduous forest on the south contain highly diverse vegetation with unusual and rare plant species that include orchids and ferns.
More than 235 bird species have been recorded at Big Lake, some 180 are recorded annually.
There are many species of fish in the lake and wildlife living around the lake.
Archaeologists believe nomadic peoples used Big Lake as far back as 9,000 years. Specific archaeological sites have been recorded dating back 5,000 years. Stone tools and weapons found on the south and east sides of the lake attest to the importance of the lake to prehistoric people. Settlers from the St. Albert Mission, founded in 1861, hunted waterfowl on the lake and moose and deer along its shores, fished its waters and trapped beaver and muskrat from the wetlands. The lake and river provided drinking water to St. Albert residents well into the 1900s (Big Lake Environmental Support Society [BLESS], 2014, para. 10).
Please walk out to GZ and enjoy the lookout
Questions:
1.) What are three species of bird that can be found in the area? There is a sign near ground zero that will help you. Alternatively name three species of fish living in the lake.
2.) Name another water body in the Empress Formation
3.) At the time of your visit, how deep do you estimate the water to be? A string and weight may be of assistance.
4.) Name two rivers that flow into Big Lake and one that flows out
OPTIONAL: Take a picture of you at the lake! There is a nearby marsh boardwalk that is fun to explore!
References
Godfrey, J. (1993). Edmonton Beneath Our Feet. Edmonton, AB.
The Beaver Hills Initiative (BHI). The Great Big Gravel Sponge [PowerPoint slides] Retrieved from http://www.beaverhills.ca/media/resources/TheGreatBigGravelSponge.ppt.
Home page. Retrieved from http://bless.ab.ca. Big Lake Environment Support Society (BLESS). Retrieved from http://bless.ab.ca.
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