Kalamalka Lake

Kalamalka Lake
Location	southern central British Columbia
Coordinates	50°10′N 119°22′W
Lake type	Glacial Lake
Primary outflows	Vernon Creek
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	16 km (52,000 ft)
Max. width	3 km (9,800 ft)
Surface area	25.7 km2 (9.9 sq mi)
Average depth	58.5 m (192 ft)
Max. depth	142 m (466 ft)
Water volume	1.5 km3 (0.36 cu mi)
Residence time	55.2 years
Shore length1	42.4 km (26.3 mi) (approx.)
Surface elevation	392 m (1,286 ft)
Settlements	Coldstream, Lake Country
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

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 (2.5 mi) south of Vernon. The lake is named for the Okanagan (Okanogan U.S. spelling) Indian chief who occupied its northern shores.

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).

Tourism

Kalamalka Lake is also a home to many great beaches. Kal beach and Cosens Bay Beach, which lies right in the heart of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, are two of the popular beaches developed on the shores of the lake. Some of the other beaches on this lake are Jade Bay Beach, Juniper Bay Beach, Kekuli Bay Beach, Kirkland Park Beach, and on the south end, Kaloya Regional Park Beach.

Two provincial parks are situated along Kalamalka Lake, Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and Protected Area (4209 ha) and Kekuli Bay Provincial Park (57 ha).

There are many resorts on the lake, including Owl's Nest Resort (features the only marina on the lake), Klub Kal, and more. Kal lake receives very little fishing pressure as the Lake is used mostly for recreational boating and water skiing.

History

Kalamalka Lake is a glacial lake that flows into the well known Okanagan Lake.

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. Atlas of Canada. Map of Kalamalka Lake