Vaseux Lake

Vaseux Lake is a freshwater lake located along the course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.[1] It is a designated Migratory Bird Sanctuary.[2]

Vaseux Lake
Looking towards McIntyre Bluff
Location	Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	49°17′30″N 119°32′00″W
Length	3.8 km (2.4 mi)
Width	0.8 km (0.50 mi)
Elevation	357 m (1,171 ft)
Established	1923
Governing body	Canadian Wildlife Service

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.

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.[1]

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 east 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.[3]

References

1. "Vaseux Lake". BC Geographical Names.
2. "Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations, CRC, c 1036" (PDF).
3. Okanagan Geology South. Okanagan Geology Committee. 2011. pp. 100–104. ISBN 978-0-9699795-3-1.

See also

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