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| Powell Lake | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Powell Lake and the city of Powell River | |
  Powell Lake | |
| Location | Sunshine Coast, British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 50°05′00″N124°25′00″W / 50.08333°N 124.41667°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 |
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]
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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]
