Map Of Development On Skeleton Lake 

By the early 1980's there was increasing concern over the amount of development around this small recreational lake and a moratorium on further development was imposed while the problem was studied,  There were approximately 500 lots around the lake at that time.  A committee was struck to look at the Skeleton Lake Area Structure Plan. 

The recommendations of the committee attempted to balance the competing interest of the County to approve developments in order to increase their property tax base against the limitations of the lake to support any further development.  The committee recommended that no more than 40 additional lots be permitted on the lake.  The reason for this recommendation was because the scientists who had studied the lake felt that two critical elements of the lakes bio-physical environment, namely, lake water quality and a lack of non-environmentally sensitive shoreline areas amenable to development, limited future development. 

In 1988 the County completed the lake management plan and area structure plan, the moratorium on development was lifted and development control was returned to the County of Athabasca.  The County ignored the recommendations in the report and development recommenced.  Today there are over 1000 lots around the lake and the lake is suffering from this staggering amount of development. 

If you compare the number of lots in the Skeleton Lake watershed to the size of the lake Skeleton Lake is one of the most densely developed lakes in Alberta

The diagram on this page of our website shows the location of the developments around Skeleton Lake.