looking for guidelines on building artificial, sustainable man-made lake?

Question

Ottawa Ontario area
feasibility of a man made lake and its impact on surrounding ecology
Vast acreage available in area but near water costs are drastically increased and pre-existing pollution levels diificult to evaluate

Answer 1

In the US, some of the states have Dam inspectors. Each dam has to be designed by a PE and the pond it secures is designed by a PE.

For Canada, I was not able to find the regulations. However, I would consult a Civil Engineer and ask them where to start.

As dams are prone to breaching, and dumping their contents on the residents downstream, I would never recommend that you build one yourself without a Professional Engineer to sign off on your plan.

Here is a link to the state association of dam safety. You may have to fish around to find the information you want.

http://www.damsafety.org/