Quesnel Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Quesnel Lake |
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Hurricane Point
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 Quesnel Lake
Location in British Columbia
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| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 52°32′N 121°2′W / 52.533°N 121.033°W |
| Lake type | Glacial, fjord lake, oligotrophic |
| Primary inflows | Horsefly River Mitchell River Niagara Creek |
| Primary outflows | Quesnel River (total 131m3) |
| Catchment area | 6,200 km2 (2,400 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 100 km (62 mi) from Likely to end of East arm, 48 km (30 mi) North Arm |
| Surface area | 266 km2 (103 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 157 m (515 ft) |
| Max. depth | 511 m (1,677 ft) |
| Water volume | 41.8 km3 (10.0 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 10.1 years |
| Shore length1 | 323.8 km (201.2 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 728 m (2,388 ft) |
| Settlements | Likely, Horsefly |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Quesnel Lake is a large, deep lake located in British Columbia, Canada. It's known as a glacial lake, which means it was formed by the movement of huge ice sheets called glaciers long ago. It's also a fjord lake, meaning it's long and narrow with steep sides, much like the fjords you might see in Norway.
Quesnel Lake is a very important source of water for the Quesnel River, which then flows into the mighty Fraser River.
About Quesnel Lake's Depth
Quesnel Lake is incredibly deep! It reaches a maximum depth of 511 m (1,677 ft). To give you an idea, that's deeper than the height of the CN Tower in Toronto!
- It is thought to be the deepest fjord lake in the entire world.
- It is the deepest lake in all of British Columbia.
- It ranks as the third-deepest lake in North America, right after Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories.
What Happened to the Lake?
On August 4, 2014, there was an incident at the Mount Polley mine. A pond holding mining waste, called a tailings pond, broke open. This caused a spill of tailings into Polley Lake and then into Quesnel Lake.
This event temporarily affected the fresh water supply for people living in the nearby town of Likely, British Columbia. After the incident, efforts were made to clean up and manage the situation. In 2017, the Mount Polley mine was given permission to release treated wastewater into Quesnel Lake under strict environmental rules.
Fun Activities and Fish
The area around Quesnel Lake is a great place for many activities. People enjoy:
- Forestry: This involves managing and harvesting trees from the forests.
- Mining: There are mines in the region, like the Mount Polley mine, that extract valuable minerals.
- Fishing: Quesnel Lake is very popular for fishing.
Quesnel Lake is considered a "trophy lake" for fishing. This means there are special rules to protect the fish and keep the lake healthy.
- You are not allowed to use live bait.
- You cannot use barbed hooks, which are hooks with a small point that makes it harder for fish to escape.
- For Steelhead fish, there are "catch-and-release" rules. This means you must release any Steelhead shorter than 10 cm or longer than 50 cm back into the lake.
You can find several types of fish in Quesnel Lake, including:
- Rainbow trout
- Dolly Varden
- Other kinds of lake trout
See also
In Spanish: Lago Quesnel para niños
