Wood Lake (British Columbia)

Wood Lake is a lake in a chain of five major lakes which occupies portions of the Okanagan Valley in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.[1] The lakes of the Okanagan Valley were formed by about 8900 BP.[2] Wood Lake is immediately south of Kalamalka Lake and in 1908 was connected to it by a dredged channel (the Oyama canal).[1] Situated between Oyama and Winfield, it has a solid reputation for rainbow trout fishing. The lake is named after Tom Wood, who settled on the south end of the lake around 1860.[1]

Wood Lake
Looking Northward along the West Shoreline of Wood Lake BC in Summer, haze in the sky due to wildfires nearby
Wood Lake is located in British Columbia
Wood Lake
Wood Lake
LocationBritish Columbia
Coordinates50°05′N 119°23′W / 50.083°N 119.383°W / 50.083; -119.383
Catchment area190 km2 (73 sq mi)
Basin countriesCanada
Surface area9 km2 (3.5 sq mi)
Average depth21.5 m (71 ft)
Max. depth34 m (112 ft)
Water volume0.1995 km3 (161,700 acre⋅ft)
Shore length113.5 km (8.4 mi)
Surface elevation391 m (1,283 ft)
SettlementsLake Country
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The dry climate and suitable soil has encouraged development of a substantial tree fruit industry around the lake and throughout the valley. The upper watershed is heavily forested and has been logged for several decades. The lower elevation of the watershed is described as a Ponderosa pine/bunchgrass area.

Physical data

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  • Normal range of annual water level fluctuation: 1.2 m
  • Number of beaches: 4

There is also a Wood Lake in Fraser Valley, an area of British Columbia.

Images

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Wood Lake". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ^ "World Lake Database (Wood Lakes)". ilec.or.jp/. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation(ILEC). Retrieved 2015-08-05. the lakes of the Okanagan Valley were formed by about 8900 B. P.