Abstract for:Exploring the Effects of Dissolved Metals on Nutrients and Aquatic Life in Coeur d’Alene Lake, Idaho

Over the years, the Coeur d'Alene Lake in Northern Idaho has not only been an extremely popular recreational destination but also has supported industries such as mining, logging, agriculture, and hydropower for the region. The lake's water quality has been heavily influenced by hazardous metal contaminants (such as zinc, lead, cadmium, and arsenic) from the former Bunker Hill Mine (EPA, 2017). The Coeur d’Alene Lake Management Plan (DEQ & Tribe, 2016) was developed to address metals with the primary strategy being immobilization of metal-laden sediment at the bottom on the lake. Increases of nutrients into the lake from its other primary tributary, the St. Joe River as well as from lakeside land use is creating the potential for increased algal blooms in the lake (Wood et al., 2008). The process of metal immobilization is complicated by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and the process of eutrophication (Bennett et al., 2001). This work in progress will result in a contribution to the field of system dynamics through this application of SD that combines contaminant, nutrients, eutrophication and water resources, that may be applied to watershed management through a collaborative process involving stakeholders, policy makers and the public seeking sustainable solutions.