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<br />of the facilities will not necessarily disguise the handiwork of man, ~ <br />but will complement nature rather than attempt to blend with it. <br />13. Impoundment Influences on Water Quality. The environ- <br />mental conditions in an impoundment are different from those in a flow- <br />ing stream in many ways, including change in water depth and surface, <br />increased detention time, reservoir geometry, and the possibility of <br />thermal stratification. Each has an influence upon the normal biologic, <br />physical, and chemical processes that cause changes in water quality. <br />In impoundments, the additional detention time allows natural processes <br />to proceed far beyond the extent possible in a flowing stream. In <br />addition, if thermal stratification exists in an impoundment, the <br />bottom portion of the water is trapped and does not contact the <br />atmosphere or aerated water. This condition also has a marked effect <br /> <br />on the natural processes that occur in the water. <br /> <br />Each body of water is unique in that, in addition to the influence <br /> <br />of impoundment, environmental factors such as upstream chemical and <br /> <br />bacterial contributions as a result of natural geochemical processes, <br /> <br /> <br />upstream agricultural practices (grazing effects and animal waste), <br /> <br /> <br />scattered areas of human habitation, industrial practices (mining), <br /> <br /> <br />varying inflows, evaporation, pool fluctuations, climatic conditions, <br /> <br /> <br />and the matabolic effects of the aquatic community create a water <br /> <br /> <br />chemistry particular to that lake. <br /> <br /> <br />Because of the already generally high quality of the resource, it <br /> <br /> <br />is expected that this quality will be maintained or enhanced in the <br /> <br /> <br />lake and no significant degradation, if any, of water quality will <br /> <br /> <br />occur. Although it is somewhat difficult to accurately forecast the <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />IV-16 <br />