Vancouver Lake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vancouver Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Clark County, Washington |
| Coordinates | |
| Primary inflows | Columbia River (intermittent) and Burnt Bridge Creek (continuous) |
| Primary outflows | Lake River (intermittent) |
| Catchment area | Vancouver Lake/Lake River, Lakeshore, Burnt Bridge Creek, Salmon Creek, Whipple Creek, Flume Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. width | > 2 mi (3.2 km) |
| Surface area | approx. 2,300 acres (9.3 km²) |
| Average depth | < 3 ft (0.9 m) |
| Max. depth | 12-15 ft |
| Shore length1 | > 7 mi (11 km) |
| Islands | 1 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Vancouver Lake is a large lake just west of Vancouver, Washington, United States, north of the Columbia River and Portland, Oregon), south of Ridgefield, Washington and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
The lake is very shallow, with a maximum depth of 12-15 ft and a mean depth of less than 3 ft.[1][2] There is an island in the northern half of the lake. The island was formed from tailings of an Army Corps of Engineers dredging project, which dredged around the perimeter of the lake in the early 1980s. Lake River flows from the north shore to the Columbia River near Ridgefield, Washington. Due to seasonal variation in relative river and lake levels, Lake River experiences intermittent flow reversal and flows into Vancouver Lake for considerable periods of time.
The sources for Vancouver Lake's water include a flushing channel (equipped wth tidal gates to control flows) from the Columbia river near the SW shoreline and Burnt Bridge Creek on the NE shoreline, which winds about ten miles through many of the city's residential areas. Until the 1980s this creek was neglected and a major source of pollution for the lake.
Lower River Road leads west out of Vancouver to a park on the shore of Vancouver Lake which includes a large swimming area. A trail leads to Frenchman's Bar Park on the nearby Columbia River.
Vancouver Lake Sailing Club, located on the SE shoreline, is a private sailing club whose primary mission is to promote the sport of sailboat racing.
Contents |
[edit] Natural History
Vancouver Lake is home to a variety of wildlife species, many of which it shares with the nearby Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Descriptions from the late 1800s describe Vancouver Lake as clear, up to twenty feet deep and containing sturgeon. Current fish populations are dominated almost entirely by carp, but the rich fringe environments provide habitat for amphibians such as tree frogs, reptiles such as garter snakes and a wide variety of birds, including large species such as great blue herons, osprey and bald eagles. It is within the Pacific Flyway. Large mammals on its banks include raccoons, a few black-tailed deer and an occasional coyote.
[edit] History
Shortly after the lake was deeded to the Port of Vancouver in 1919, agricultural interests proposed draining it, but by the end of the 1920s, recreational uses were also considered. The lake was briefly considered as a decommissioning harbor in 1945, but after the Memorial Day flood of 1948 was also seen as a possible resource in flood control.
Suburbanization of its watershed area led to an increase in water pollution. Surface runoff brought increased sediment while residential drain fields and increased use of fertilizers rich in nitrogen and phosphorus contributed to eutrophication. DDT was also used for mosquito control until its effects on fish and birds became apparent, and the county discontinued it.
Since then there have been various interests in the area as it relates to habitat preservation, recreation and industry, culminating in the "Habitek" plan of the mid-1980s and the multi-agency Burnt Bridge Creek Watershed Plan of 1995. Algal bloom has been an intermittent problem for recreational use of the lake (officially recognized by the county in 2003) since cyanobacteria such as Anabaena, Microcystis aeruginosa and Cylindrospermopsin raciborskii may produce neurotoxins such as cylindrospermopsin.
The Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership was formed in October 2004, and brings federal, state and local public agencies with interest and jurisdiction over Vancouver Lake and its watershed, together with citizen stakeholders, to tackle the multi-faceted issues and opportunities facing Vancouver Lake.
[edit] References
- ^ Vancouver Lake Summary
- ^ ERIK ROBINSON. "Dredgers scoop up 24 years of gunk to help Vancouver Lake", The Columbian, December 8, 2006.
Timeline of events around Vancouver Lake Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership
