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Wannacut Lake sediments in Okanagan County in Eastern Washington were severely contaminated with lead and mercury from mining activity that occurred in the lake’s catchment from the late 1800s to 1940.
A peak mercury flux of 361 micrograms per meter square per year (ug/m2/yr) was measured in 1932. Peak mercury concentrations during this time period measured 1,580 ng/g. Contamination stopped abruptly after mining activity ceased within the lake’s drainage and mercury levels dropped accordingly. Flux rates at Wannacut Lake have experienced recent declines and are currently 10 ug/m2/yr.
See also:
History of Mercury in Selected Washington Lakes Determined from Age-Dated Sediment Cores
Quality Assurance Project Plan: Depositional History of Mercury in Selected Washington Lakes Determined from Sediment Cores
Mercury in Lake Whatcom Sediments: Spatial Distribution, Depositional History, and Tributary Inputs
Mercury in Edible Fish Tissue and Sediments from Selected Lakes and Rivers of Washington State, 2003
Washington State Toxics Monitoring Program: Contaminants in Fish Tissue from Freshwater Environments in 2006
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