Wollaston Lake
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| Wollaston Lake | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | [1] |
| Lake type | Glacial |
| Primary outflows | Fond du Lac River, Cochrane River |
| Catchment area | 23 310 km²[2] |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 2286 km²[3] |
| Average depth | 20.6 m[1] |
| Max depth | 71.0 m[1] |
| Water volume | 75 km³[1] |
| Shore length1 | 1 475 km[2] |
| Surface elevation | 398 m[3] |
| Settlements | Wollaston Lake |
| 1 Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article. | |
Wollaston Lake is located in northeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. With a surface area of 2286 km² (excluding islands; 2681 km² if islands are included)[3], it is the largest lake in the world that drains naturally in two directions.[4] The Fond du Lac River flows out of the lake to the northwest, where it drains into Lake Athabasca, which ultimately drains into the Arctic Ocean via the Mackenzie River system. The Cochrane River flows out of the northeastern side of the lake and into Reindeer Lake, which drains via the Churchill River system into Hudson Bay. It thus sits on the Northern continental divide, or Laurentian Divide, that separates the watershed of the Atlantic Ocean from that of the Arctic Ocean, and enables river navigation between the two watersheds without the use of a portage.
The only settlement on its shores is also named Wollaston Lake, with a population of around 800 people, a quarter of whom are members of the Lac La Hache Indian Band.[5] Access to the lake is provided by the community airstrip (Wollaston Lake Airport) and an all-weather road (Highway 905) to La Ronge.[5] This road passes by the western side of the lake, while the community of Wollaston Lake is located on the eastern side, but the lake can be crossed by a winter road when the lake is frozen (November through June)[2] and by barge when it is not.[5]
Wollaston Lake was discovered by the explorer Peter Fidler about 1800, and was used by fur traders as a link between the Churchill and Mackenzie River watersheds. In 1821, the explorer John Franklin named the lake after William Hyde Wollaston, an English chemist and physicist.[6] [7]
Fish species found in the lake include northern pike, lake trout, Arctic grayling and walleye.
Treated effluent from the Rabbit Lake uranium mine is released into Hidden Bay on the southwestern side of the lake.[8]
