Williston Lake

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Williston Lake
Aerial view of the eastern arm
Location	British Columbia
Coordinates	56° N 124° WCoordinates: 56° N 124° W
Lake 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]
Surface elevation	671 m (2,201 ft)^[2] (level varies by 18 m)
References	^[2]^[1]

Williston Lake is a reservoir located in central British Columbia, Canada.

1 Geography
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Major Lakes of British Columbia

It is developed along the Peace River, in the Rocky Mountain Trench and the adjacent valleys. The lake includes three reaches, Peace Reach, Parsnip Reach, and Finlay Reach, and covers a total area of 1,761 km² (680 sq mi), ^[1] being the largest lake in British Columbia.

The reservoir is fed by Omineca River, Ingenica River, Ospika River, Parsnip River, Manson River, Nation River, Clearwater Creek, Nabesche River, Carbon Creek, as well as other smaller creeks.

Several provincial parks are maintained on the shore of the lake, including Muscovite Lakes Provincial Park, Butler Ridge Provincial Park, Heather-Dina Lakes Provincial Park and Ed Bird-Estella Provincial Park.

[edit] History

Williston Lake was created in 1968 and, at the time, was the largest artificial reservoir in the world. It was formed with the building of the W. A. C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River, which flooded the aboriginal-territorial home of the Tsay Keh Dene Band.^[3]

The reservoir was named after the Honourable Ray Williston, at the time the Minister of Lands, Forests and Water Resources.