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.

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]

Geography

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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

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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

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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

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References

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  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

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Further reading

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