Upper Campbell Lake 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 ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The lake was flooded in 1958 for a large

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

project, which raised the water level by . Crest Creek and headwaters of the Heber River are diverted into the lake. Part of the lake and its watershed is located in

Strathcona Provincial Park Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, and the largest on Vancouver Island. Founded in 1911, the park was named for Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, a wealthy philanthropi ...

, and the Strathcona Park Lodge is located on the eastern side. Freshwater fish species in the lake include

Cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus '' Oncorhynchus'', it is one of the Pacific tro ...

Rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

and Dolly varden.

Geography

Upper Campbell Lake is located approximately west of the city of Campbell River, and east of the village of Gold River. Its main tributaries are the Elk River, and the Tlools, Filberg, Cervis and Drum Creeks. Its only outflow is Campbell River, which also flows in from its headwaters nearby at

Buttle Lake Buttle Lake is a lake on Vancouver Island in Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is about long and wide, has an area of , is up to deep, and lies at an elevation of . The lake is located between Campbell River and Gold R ...

. The river flows a short distance out of Upper Campbell Lake via the Strathcona Dam into

Lower Campbell Lake Lower Campbell Lake, also known as Campbell Lake, is a reservoir on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The lake is impounded by the Ladore Dam, which was completed in 1958. Resident fish species in the lake include Cutthroat trout, R ...

. Upper Campbell Lake lies in the Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic Zone. Campbell Lake and Dam Pano - panoramio

History

The building of the Strathcona Dam from 1955 to 1958 impounded Upper Campbell Lake, raising the level by and causing it to coalesce with

. The damming of the lake also significantly raised the level of the Elk River, another main inflow, which destroyed a large area of elk habitat and has negatively impacted the river function. The flooding removed an estimated 65% of the spawning habitat used by sport fish in the tributaries of the lake. Prior to the dam, Upper Campbell Lake had a surface area of .

References

Lakes of Vancouver Island Lakes of British Columbia Comox Land District {{Canada-lake-stub