Powell Lake

Powell Lake is a lake in the northern Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, adjacent to the city of Powell River, which sits on the low rise of land forming a natural dam between the lake and the Strait of Georgia at 46 metres above sea level. The lake flows to the ocean through Powell River and features Goat Island, a large mountainous island. It serves as a reservoir for a small hydroelectric generating station which was built to serve the city's paper mill; and also as a water supply for that paper mill. Construction of the hydroelectric dam began in 1910, and in 1924 the lake's water level was raised to 56 metres above sea level.^[1]

LocationSunshine Coast, British Columbia

Coordinates50°05′00″N 124°25′00″W

Typefjord lake, meromictic, reservoir

Primary inflowsPowell River, Eldred River and Olsen Creek

Quick facts Location, Coordinates ...

Powell Lake
Aerial view of Powell Lake and the city of Powell River
Powell Lake
Location	Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
Coordinates	50°05′00″N 124°25′00″W
Type	fjord lake, meromictic, reservoir
Primary inflows	Powell River, Eldred River and Olsen Creek
Primary outflows	Powell River
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	50 km (31 mi)
Surface area	120 km2 (46 sq mi)
Average depth	150 m (490 ft)
Max. depth	360 m (1,180 ft)
Water volume	18 km3 (4.3 cu mi)
Surface elevation	56 m (184 ft)
Islands	Goat Island
Settlements	Powell River

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The lake consists of six interconnected basins, two of which are meromictic, containing trapped salt water in the bottom 50 metres of the water column.^[2] Approximately 11,000 years ago, due to post-glacial rebound, the bedrock sill at the mouth of the fjord began to rise, isolating the basin from the Strait of Georgia.^[3]