Sooke Lake | |
Location: | Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada |
Coordinates: | 48.5556°N -123.697°W |
Type: | Natural lake, Reservoir |
Inflow: | Rithet Creek |
Islands: | Exploration Island and numerous others[1] |
Pushpin Map: | Vancouver Island |
Sooke Lake is a natural lake and the main reservoir of Greater Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. It is owned and operated by the Capital Regional District and supplies water to approximately 350,000 people.[2] It has a usable water supply of 92.7 million cubic meters, of a total of 160.32 million cubic meters. Rithet Creek is the main inflow and makes up approximately 25% of the supply. The total watershed area is .[3]
The development of Sooke Lake as a reservoir was approved in 1910, and construction began in 1912. A concrete dam was constructed and raised the water level . Water was transported to the city of Victoria via the Sooke Flowline, a concrete aqueduct. The project was completed in 1915.