Lake Gregory sometimes also called Gregory Lake or Gregory Reservoir, is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in heart of the tea country hill city,

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Lake Gregory was constructed during the period of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Sir William Gregory in 1873. The lake and the surrounding area make up the ''Gregory Lake Area''.

History

The area was originally a swampy

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

at the foot of the small hills that border the town. In 1873 Sir William Gregory authorised the damming of the Thalagala stream, which originates from Mount

Pidurutalagala Pidurutalagala ( si, පිදුරුතලාගල, pronounced , ''Straw Plateau Rock''), or Mount Pedro in English, is an ultra prominent peak and the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka, at . It is situated North-North-East from the town of Nuwa ...

, in order to make more land available for the expansion of the town. In 1881 the lake was stocked with trout by C. J. R. Le Mesurier (Assistant Government Agent for Nuwara Eliya). In 1913 the waters of the lake were directed into a tunnel which flows to a hydro power station at 'Blackpool' between the town and

Nanu Oya Nanu Oya is a long stream in the Central Province of Sri Lanka It originates from Pidurutalagala at an elevation of over and drains into the Kotmale Oya at an elevation of approximately . The Kotmale Oya is a tributary of the Mahaweli River, t ...

. The power station continues to supply electricity to the town to this day. In British times Lake Gregory was used for water sports and recreational activities. Gregory Lake 2

References

{{Inland waters of Sri Lanka Gregory Gregory Gregory Parks in Nuwara Eliya Archaeological protected monuments in Nuwara Eliya District

History

See also

References