Nanaimo Lakes

Coordinates: 49°06′00″N 124°10′15″W / 49.10000°N 124.17083°W / 49.10000; -124.17083
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Nanaimo Lakes
First Lake
Nanaimo Lakes is located in Vancouver Island
Nanaimo Lakes
Nanaimo Lakes
LocationRegional District of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia[1]
Coordinates49°06′00″N 124°10′15″W / 49.10000°N 124.17083°W / 49.10000; -124.17083[1]
EtymologySnuneymuxw First Nation – city of Nanaimo
Part ofNanaimo River
Catchment areaAt least 23,000 hectares (57,000 acres)[2]
Basin countriesCanada
Max. length4 miles (6.4 km)
Surface elevation210 metres (690 ft)[3]

Nanaimo Lakes are a chain of four lakes composed of three natural—First, Second, and Third Lakes—and one man-made, dammed lake, Fourth Lake, on the upper Nanaimo River, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Geography[edit]

The lakes are in a highland transitional area between the southern Vancouver Island Ranges and the Nanaimo Lowland.[4]

The 1:50,000 topographic map quadrangle 92F1 Nanaimo Lakes, published by Natural Resources Canada, is centred on the lakes.[3] Note that lake names do not appear on all online mapping services, and Third Lake, not listed by the Watershed Roundtable, but listed in a 1919 guide, and on the Natural Resources Canada map, may not appear on some maps at all.[5] A lake with a dam at the north end, named "Fourth Lake", is also shown on the map. First Lake and Second Lake, at c. 210 metres above sea level,[3] are connected by a short stream.[6] Fourth Lake Dam is privately owned and impounds 38,000,000 cubic metres (1.3×109 cu ft) of water, used for a paper mill.[7]

Parks and recreation[edit]

Timberwest owns four campsites on private land surrounding First Lake.[11] The lake was stocked with up to 30,000 salmon or trout per year for recreational fishing beginning in 1905 through the early 21st century.[12][13][6] Fourth Lake can be kayaked.[10]

Nanaimo Lakes fire balloon[edit]

In March, 1945, a Fu-Go balloon bomb made in Yamaguchi Prefecture and launched from Japan landed at the lakes. Its firing circuits malfunctioned; it failed to detonate and was recovered and analyzed by a Canadian–American intelligence effort.[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Nanaimo Lakes". Geographical Names database. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Watershed protection". City of Nanaimo. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e Map 092F01, "Nanaimo Lakes" digital raster, published by Natural Resources Canada, 7th edition, March 24, 2011; accessed via ftp 2018-07-10
  4. ^ Yorath 2005, p. 17.
  5. ^ "Nanaimo River Watershed: location". Nanaimo River Watershed Roundtable. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Williams 1919, p. 70.
  7. ^ Butler et al. 2014, p. 9.
  8. ^ "Third Lake". BC Geographical Names database. Province of British Columbia Geographical Names Office. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Fourth Lake". BC Geographical Names database. Province of British Columbia Geographical Names Office. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Fourth Lake", Canoe & Kayak Paddling on Vancouver Island, retrieved 10 July 2018
  11. ^ "Nanaimo Lakes campsites". Timberwest. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Fish stocking report – Nanaimo Lakes, Vancovuer Island". Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  13. ^ Pochin 1946, p. 75.
  14. ^ Coen 2014, p. 157.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

Further reading[edit]