Kalamalka Lake

Kalamalka Lake
Location	southern central British Columbia
Coordinates	50°10′N 119°22′W
Basin countries	Canada
Average depth	142 m.
Shore length1	42.4 km.
Surface elevation	392
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lakes of British Columbia. See actual size.

Kalamalka Lake (aka "Kal Lake") is a large lake in the Interior Plateau of southern central British Columbia, Canada, east of Okanagan Lake and approximately 4 kilometres south of Vernon. The lake is named for the Okanagan (Okanogan U.S. spelling) Indian chief who occupied its northern shores, although many believe (incorrectly) that it means (lake of) many colours in the Okanagan language.

At different times of the year the colour of the lake can range from cyan to indigo, in different spots at the same time. The colour of the water is derived from light scattering, caused by the precipitation of calcite (CaCO₃).

References

Anonymous (1974a). Kalamalka-Wood Lake Basin Water Resource Management Study. Water Investigations Branch, British Columbia Water Resources Service, Victoria, B.C., 209 pp.

Anonymous (1974b). Limnology of the Major Lakes in the Okanagan Basin. Canada - British Columbia Okanagan Basin Agreement, Final Report, Technical Supplement V. British Columbia Water Resources Service, Victoria, British Columbia, 261 pp.

Anonymous (1974c). The Main Report of the Consultative Board. Canada - British Columbia Okanagan Basin Agreement. British Columbia Water Resources Service, Victoria, British Columbia.

Stockner, J.G. and Northcote, T.G. (1974). Recent limnological studies of Okanagan Basin lakes and their contribution to comprehensive water resource planning. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 31, 955-976.

External links

• Natural Resources Canada map of Kalamalka Lake
• Two provincial parks are situated along Kalamalka Lake:
  • Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park
  • Kekuli Bay Provincial Park