Vaseux Lake

Vaseux Lake
Vasuix Lake, Vaseaux Lake
Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Looking towards McIntyre Bluff
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Okanagan
Elevation	357 m (1,171 ft)
Coordinates
Length	3.8 km (2 mi)
Width	0.8 km (0 mi)
Depth	27 m (89 ft)
Founded	1923
Management	Canadian Wildlife Service
Catchment area	Okanagan Basin
Primary inflow	Okanagan River
Primary outflow	Okanagan River

Vaseux Lake is a freshwater lake located along the course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. It is a designated Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Name origin

The name "vaseux" is French, meaning muddy or murky, which is descriptive of the lake's silty water. The lake was likely named by French Canadian fur traders.

File:Vaseaux Lake, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia (HS85-10-21794).jpg

Vaseux Lake, 1909

The lake was misspelled as Vasuix Lake on Joseph Trutch's maps from 1866 and 1871. For many years the name was later spelled Vaseaux Lake; in 1945 the Geographic Board of BC corrected the official name to its present form.

Geographical context

The town of Okanagan Falls is to the north, and the town of Oliver is to the south. The lake lies to the west of Mount Keogan, while British Columbia Highway 97 runs alongside the east shore of the lake, and has a sharp hairpin turn at the Vaseaux Lake Rock Cut which has been the scene of many accidents and deaths. McIntyre Bluff, Vaseux Creek and the associated alluvial fan are to the south; however, it does not flow into Vaseux Lake. Both the north and south ends of the lake are shallow; there is an oval-shaped depression in the center where the lake reaches its maximum depth. The largest island on the lake is Hatfield Island. The lake stage is controlled by McIntyre Dam.

See also

• Vaseux Lake Provincial Park
• Mahoney Lake
• Skaha Lake
• Osoyoos Lake
• Okanagan Basin Water Board