White Lakeis a medium-sized lake ofOntario,Canada. It is located inRenfrew County,60 kilometres (37 mi) west ofOttawa,Ontario nearCalabogieto the west andArnpriorto the north. It may be accessed viaHighway 417from Ottawa or Renfrew Country Road 511 fromPerth.The town ofWhite Lakelies on the northern shore of the lake.
| White Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
  White Lake | |
| Location | Ontario |
| Coordinates | 45°18′36″N76°31′12″W/ 45.31000°N 76.52000°W |
| Primary outflows | Indian Creek, Waba Creek |
| Basincountries | Canada |
| Max. length | 16 km (9.9 mi) |
| Surface area | 22.7 km2(8.8 sq mi) |
| Shore length1 | 98 km (61 mi) |
| Settlements | White Lake, Ontario |
| 1Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
The northern and western shores of White Lake mark the upper limit of theChamplain Seawhich flooded theOttawa Valleyat the end of the last ice age.[1]
The lake is 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) long with an area of 2,270 hectares (5,600 acres) and a perimeter of 98 kilometres (61 mi). The lake is marked in Canada by National Resources Canada with the CGNDB Unique Identifier:FDDES.
History
editBefore European settlement the lake was known as Wa-ba-lac by the local natives. In the Johnston Royal atlas (dated 1860) the lake was shown as Wabak or White Lake. The lake name is believed to be derived from the whitemarldeposits covering large portions of the lake substrate.[2]White Lake was created in 1845 when a dam on Waba Creek was constructed resulting in the water levels increasing in three previously small, interconnected waterbodies. The original White Lake Dam was built with the purpose of providing water storage for the operation of Stewart's sawmill at Waba, four kilometres (2.5 mi) downstream.[3]The dam was rebuilt in 1948 and in 1969, was purchased by theOntario Ministry of Natural Resourcesand reconstructed again.[4]
In the 1970s summer water levels were stabilized for the benefit of boaters and shoreline property owners. There has been concern over the presence ofalgal bloomwhich has become more prevalent as shorelines are developed and local human presence increases.[5]
Ecology
editPrior to 1930 White Lake supported anorthern pikefishery. With intensive stocking awalleyefishery developed during the period between 1930 and the mid 1960s. Since that time,largemouth bassand northern pike have been the most sought after game fish with walleye being seen only periodically in the anglers catch.[3]Sunfishare also commonplace in White Lake.[6]
The lake is regionally significant for the presence of theWhite Lake Fen,which is a rare wetland type inLanark Countyand considered to be a Provincially Significant Wetland and a Special Place.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Barnett, P.J. (1988), Gadd, N.R. (ed.), "History of the northwestern arm of the Champlain Sea",The Late Quaternary Development of the Champlain Sea Basin,no. Special Paper 36, Map 5: Geological Association of Canada, pp.25–36
{{citation}}:CS1 maint: location (link) - ^Kennedy, C. C. (1970),The upper Ottawa Valley,Pembroke, Ontario: Renfrew County Council
- ^abAnthers, A. & Kerr, S.J. (1998),The Fishery of White Lake,Kemptville, Ontario: Southcentral Sciences Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, p. 31
- ^"Archived copy"(PDF).www.opg.com.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 September 2014.Retrieved15 January2022.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Concern about White Lake trailer park plans".millstonenews.com.February 10, 2016.RetrievedNovember 26,2019.
- ^"Things to do".whitelakeon.com.RetrievedNovember 26,2019.
- ^Keddy, P.A. (2008),Earth, Water, Fire: An Ecological Profile of Lanark County,Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, p. 73