| Vancouver Lake | |
|---|---|
 An aerial view of the lake (with the Columbia River in the foreground) | |
  Vancouver Lake | |
| Location | Clark County, Washington |
| Coordinates | 45°40′40″N 122°43′16″W / 45.6779°N 122.721°W |
| Primary inflows | Columbia River (intermittent) and Burnt Bridge Creek (continuous) |
| Primary outflows | Lake River (intermittent) |
| Catchment area | Vancouver Lake/Lake River, Lakeshore, Burnt Bridge Creek, Salmon Creek, Whipple Creek, Flume Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. width | > 2 mi (3.2 km) |
| Surface area | approx. 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) |
| Average depth | < 3 ft (0.9 m) |
| Max. depth | 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) |
| Shore length1 | > 7 mi (11 km) |
| Islands | 1 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Vancouver Lake is located just west of Vancouver, Washington, United States, north of the Columbia River and Portland, Oregon, south of Ridgefield, Washington, and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
The lake is shallow, with a maximum depth of 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) and a mean depth of less than 3 feet (0.9 m).[1][2] There is an island in the northern half of the lake named Turtle Island.[3] The island was formed from the tailings of an Army Corps of Engineers dredging project, which dredged around the perimeter of the lake in the early 1980s. Lake River flows from the north shore to the Columbia River near Ridgefield. Due to seasonal variation in relative river and lake levels, Lake River experiences intermittent flow reversal and flows into Vancouver Lake for considerable periods of time.
The sources for Vancouver Lake's water include a flushing channel (equipped with tidal gates to control flows) from the Columbia River near the southwest shoreline and Burnt Bridge Creek on the eastern shoreline, which winds about ten miles (sixteen kilometres) through many of the city's residential areas. Until the 1980s, this creek was neglected and a major source of pollution for the lake.
Lower River Road leads west out of Vancouver to a park on the shore of Vancouver Lake which includes a large swimming area.[4] A trail leads to Frenchman's Bar Park on the nearby Columbia River.
- ^ "Vancouver Lake 2006 Volunteer Monitoring Data Summary" (PDF). Clark County. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 8, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ^ Erik, Robinson (December 8, 2006). "Dredgers Scoop Up 24 Years of Gunk to Help Vancouver Lake". The Columbian. p. a1. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ^ "Washington State Magazine | Washington State University".
- ^ "Vancouver Lake".