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| Powell Lake | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Powell Lake and the city of Powell River | |
  Powell Lake Location within British Columbia | |
| Location | Sunshine Coast, British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 50°05′00″N 124°25′00″W / 50.08333°N 124.41667°W |
| Type | fjord lake, meromictic, reservoir |
| Powell River, Eldred River, Daniels River, Beartooth Creek and Olsen Creek | |
| Powell River | |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 50 km (31 mi) |
Surface area | 120 km2 (46 sq mi) |
Average depth | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Max. depth | 360 m (1,180 ft) |
Water volume | 18 km3 (4.3 cu mi) |
Surface elevation | 56 m (184 ft) |
| Islands | Goat Island |
| Settlements | Powell River |
Powell Lake is a lake in the northern Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, adjacent to the city of Powell River, which sits on the low rise of land forming a natural dam between the lake and the Strait of Georgia at 46 metres above sea level. The lake flows to the ocean through Powell River and features Goat Island, a large mountainous island. It serves as a reservoir for a small hydroelectric generating station which was built to serve the city's paper mill; and also as a water supply for that paper mill. Construction of the hydroelectric dam began in 1910, and in 1924 the lake's water level was raised to 56 metres above sea level.
The lake consists of six interconnected basins, two of which are meromictic, containing trapped salt water in the bottom 50 metres of the water column. Approximately 11,000 years ago, due to post-glacial rebound, the bedrock sill at the mouth of the fjord began to rise, isolating the basin from the Strait of Georgia.
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