Hatzic Lake is an

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...

north of and draining into the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

, immediately south of

Hatzic Valley The Hatzic Valley is the southerly, lowland portion of the Fraser Valley Regional District#Electoral area "F", Fraser Valley Regional District Electoral Area "F" of British Columbia's Lower Mainland. The valley was carved as a result of southward ...

, and east of the

benchland In geomorphology, geography and geology, a bench or benchland is a long, relatively narrow strip of relatively level or gently inclined land that is bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below it. Benches can be of different origins and ...

neighbourhood of

Hatzic Hatzic is a historic community in the Central Fraser Valley region of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, located on the east side of the District of Mission and including areas beyond the municipal boundary to the east and northeas ...

. Neilson Regional Park and the district of Mission is on the immediate west shore of Hatzic Lake, while the centre of the oxbow is

Hatzic Island Hatzic Island is an island located in the centre of Hatzic Lake, an oxbow lake formation north of the Fraser River, on the east side of Mission, British Columbia, Mission, British Columbia, Canada. Geography Approximately 2.6 km in length fr ...

. Northeast of the lake is

Dewdney Peak Dewdney Peak, also known unofficially as Hatzic Mountain, is the southwesternmost summit of the Douglas Ranges in the Lower Mainland of southern British Columbia, Canada. Dewdney Peak is located east of Hatzic Prairie and north of Dewdney, British ...

(Hatzic Mountain) which forms the southmost endpoint of the

Douglas Ranges The Douglas Ranges are a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia, about east of downtown Vancouver, north of the Fraser River and between the valleys of Stave and Harrison Lakes. They ...

. In addition to a large number of private residences the locality has a few commercial campgrounds. Hatzic Valley's Lagace Creek, Scorey Creek, and Hatzic Slough drain into the northern end of Hatzic Lake, providing it with water. Since these tributaries are intermittent, the water freshness and level of Hatzic Lake can vary seasonally. The length of the lake, on its north–south axis, is approximately 3.7 km, while Hatzic Island is approximately 2.6 km in length, with the widest parts of the lake off the northern end of the oblong island at about 775 m. The width of the lake inclusive from its extreme west to east is about 2.5 km. BC Highway 7 and the mainline of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

cross its southern end, just south of the southernmost parts of Hatzic Island. The depth of the lake is a uniform 2 to 3 meters, except immediately north of Hatzic Island to west of Hatzic Island where depth varies between 3 and 15 meters. Because the lake is surrounded with private residences launch sites for non-residents' boats are limited and smaller boats tend to be launched from Neilson Regional Park or near Hatzic bridge on Lougheed Highway. Because the lake is very shallow it is warm, and is popular for swimming, water sports and water-skiing. The lake water temperature and farm fertiliser run-off introduced via Scorey Creek has been blamed for invasive

flowering rush ''Butomus'' is the only known genus in the plant family Butomaceae, native to Europe and Asia. It is considered invasive in some parts of the United States. Taxonomy The Butomaceae family has been recognized by most taxonomists as a plant ...

and

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompas ...

issues, the latter of which has led to

Fraser Health The Fraser Health Authority (FHA) is one of five publicly funded health authorities into which the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) is divided. It is governed by the provincial ''Health Authorities Ac ...

-imposed swimming bans. In 2019 the BC Government funded over a quarter million dollars for addressing invasive plant concerns in Hatzic Lake.

References

* {{British Columbia hydrography Lakes of the Lower Mainland Oxbow lakes of Canada New Westminster Land District