Okanagan Lake

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Okanagan Lake
View of Okanagan Lake
Coordinates	50°0′N 119°30′W
Lake type	Mountain Lake Monomitic Oligotrophic
Primary sources	Numerous creeks
Primary outflows	Okanagan River
Catchment area	6,200 km²
Basin countries	Canada (British Columbia)
Max-length	135 km
Max-width	4-5 km
Surface area	351 km²
Average depth	76 m
Max-depth	230 m
Water volume	24.6 km³
Residence time (of lake water)	52.8 years
Shore length¹	270 km
Surface elevation	342 m
Islands	Rattlesnake Island Whiskey Island (British Columbia)
Settlements	Vernon, BC Penticton, BC Kelowna, BC Summerland, BC
¹ Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article.

Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface of 351 km².^[1] The lake's assumed maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island (also called "Whiskey Island" or "Seagull Island" by locals), but the lake possibly goes much deeper under the shelves. Some areas of the lake have up to 750 meters of glacial and post-glacial sediment fill which were deposited during the Pleistocene Epoch.^[2] The lake is composed of three basins, a larger North basin, a central or mid basin, and a Southern basin. To the North the lake is joined to Kalamalka Lake by Vernon Creek, and in the South it is joined to Skaha Lake by the Okanagan River. Notable features of the Okanagan Valley include terraces which were formed due to the periodic lowering of the lake level. These terraces are now used extensively for agriculture such as fruit cultivation.

Cities bordering the lake include Vernon in the north, Penticton in the south, and Kelowna in the centre. Various lake features include: Rattlesnake Island, a small island east of Peachland; Squally Point, a popular cliff-diving area; Fintry Delta on the west side; and the Okanagan Lake Bridge, a floating bridge which connects Kelowna to the municipality of Westbank.

Okanagan Lake winds between Kelowna (foreground) and Westbank (background).

Many parks and beaches are found along the shores of the lake, which make boating and swimming very popular activities. The lake is home to several species of fish, including rainbow trout and kokanee. It is said by some to be home to its own sea monster - a giant serpent-like creature named Ogopogo. Lake Okanagan is next to Canada's only true desert ecosystem.

[edit] Legends

Lake Okanagan is rumoured to hold a secret: Ogopogo, its own version of the Loch Ness Monster. Ogopogo is envisioned as an aquatic serpent, hiding within the depths of Lake Okanagan. Despite skeptics, there are still occasional reports of Ogopogo sightings, and the Ogopogo theme is utilized in tourist merchandise. Many claim that a lake the size of Lake Okanagan has a strong chance of containing at least something unusual.

[edit] References

Okanagan Lake. World Lakes Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
[1995] “Geofacts of Kelowna”, Murray A. Roed, John D. Greenough: Okanagan Geology. Sandhill Book Marketing, 199. ISBN 0-9699795-2-5.