Alteration to lake trophic status as a means to control arsenic mobility in a mine-impacted lake

The relationship between lake trophic status, sedimentary redox conditions and As mobility was examined in mine-impacted Balmer Lake, Canada. Under the current redox regime, the reductive dissolution of As-bearing Fe(III) oxyhydroxides occurs in close proximity to the sediment–water interface, resulting in the remobilization of dissolved As in the shallow porewaters to values as high as 8.5 mg L^?1. The shallow depth of the oxic zone limits the extent to which As can be re-sorbed in the interfacial horizons, and as a result, a proportion of the remobilized As escapes into the water column where it poses a water quality concern. Examination of the relationship between summer average chlorophyll a and total P at spring overturn in the lake water column demonstrates that Balmer Lake is currently eutrophic as a result of mining-derived inputs of P (domestic waters) and N (blasting residues and cyanide breakdown products). The results suggest that actively pushing the system towards oligotrophy by reducing non-natural P loadings to the system will decrease rates of in situ production and associated sediment oxygen demand, which will in turn result in increased thickness of the aerobic zone and enhanced As scavenging. Such conclusions are supported by porewater data which indicate that the flux of As to the water column is significantly reduced when the Fe(III) redox cline is situated at deeper sediment depths. In the absence of detailed P-loading data, it is recommended that P inputs be reduced to 10% of the estimated pre-mining P loading of 200 kg yr^?1. This implies reducing the collective P-loadings from the two mine sites adjacent to the lake from the approximate current value (150 kg yr^?1) to 20 kg yr^?1. It is proposed that establishment of oligotrophy in the lake should significantly mitigate the current level of dissolved As in lake waters.