| Williston Lake | |
|---|---|
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  Williston Lake | |
| Location | British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 56°N124°W / 56°N 124°W /56; -124 |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Peace River |
| Primary outflows | Peace River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 251 km (156 mi) |
| Max. width | 155 km (96 mi) |
| Surface area | 1,761 km2 (680 sq mi)[1] |
| Average depth | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Water volume | 74 cubic kilometres (60,000,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface elevation | 671 m (2,201 ft)[2] (level varies by 18 m) |
| References | [1][2] |
Williston Lake is areservoir created by theW. A. C. Bennett Dam which is located in theNorthern Interior of British Columbia, Canada.
The lake fills the basin of the upperPeace River, backing into theRocky Mountain Trench which is where the Parsnip and Finlay met atFinlay Forks to form the Peace. The lake includes threereaches, the Peace Reach (formerly the Peace Canyon), and the Parsnip and Finlay Reaches, which are the lowermost basins of those rivers, and covers a total area of 1,761 km2 (680 sq mi),[1] being the largest lake in British Columbia and the seventhlargest reservoir (by volume) in the world.
The reservoir is fed by theFinlay,Omineca,Ingenika,Ospika,Parsnip,Manson,Nation andNabesche Rivers and by Clearwater Creek, Carbon Creek, and other smaller creeks.
Severalprovincial parks are maintained on the shore of the lake, includingMuscovite Lakes Provincial Park,Butler Ridge Provincial Park,Heather-Dina Lakes Provincial Park andEd Bird-Estella Provincial Park.
The following rivers empty into the Williston Reservoir, in clockwise order from the Peace River outlet:
Additionally, the following creeks empty into Williston Reservoir, in clockwise order from the Peace River outlet (this list is not comprehensive):[3]
Williston Lake was created in 1968 by the building of theW. A. C. Bennett Dam on thePeace River, which flooded the aboriginal-territorial home of theTsay Keh Dene First Nation.[4]
The reservoir was named after the HonourableRay Gillis Williston, at the time the Minister of Lands, Forests and Water Resources.
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