Skaha Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Skaha Lake |
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 Skaha Lake
Location in British Columbia
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| Location | British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 49°25′N 119°35′W / 49.417°N 119.583°W |
| Primary inflows | Okanagan River |
| Primary outflows | Okanagan River |
| Catchment area | Okanagan Basin |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 11.8 kilometres (7.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) |
| Surface area | 19.6 square kilometres (7.6 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 26.6 metres (87 ft) |
| Max. depth | 56.7 metres (186 ft) |
| Water volume | 0.552 cubic kilometres (0.132 cu mi) |
| Residence time | 1.1 years |
| Shore length1 | 30.7 kilometres (19.1 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 339 m (1112 ft) |
| Frozen | February 2014 |
| Settlements | Penticton, Okanagan Falls |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Skaha Lake is a beautiful freshwater lake in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Okanagan River system. The lake is about 20 square kilometers in size. Its deepest point is around 55 meters.
Skaha Lake is located just south of Okanagan Lake. It forms the southern edge of the city of Penticton. The town of Okanagan Falls is at the lake's southern end. The community of Kaleden is on the hills to the west.
Contents
What's in a Name? The History of Skaha Lake
Skaha Lake has had a few different names over time. It was once known as Dog Lake. Even earlier, it was called Lac Du Chien, which means "Dog Lake" in French.
The name "Dog Lake" appeared on old maps from the 1860s. In 1930, the name was officially changed to Skaha. This was done to match a local name used by people living there.
However, the Okanagan First Nations people say that "skaha" is not their word for dog. They say their word for dog is chokowapee. The word "skaha" actually means "horse" in the local dialect. It also means "horse" in the Nicola dialect.
Exploring the Nature Around Skaha Lake
Skaha Lake is in a special place where different types of natural areas meet. To the northeast, you can find Okanagan dry forests. These are forests that grow in dry conditions. To the west, there are the Cascade Mountains leeward forests. These forests are on the side of the mountains that are sheltered from the wind.
South of the lake is the Columbia Plateau shrubland. This is a unique area with dry shrubs. It is the only place like this in Canada.
Fish in Skaha Lake
The lake itself is home to many kinds of fish. You can find kokanee salmon swimming here. There are also beautiful rainbow trout. Another common fish in the lake is the smallmouth bass.
Images for kids
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A view of Skaha Lake.
