Lake Wanapitei

Quality Characteristics

Spring Phosphorus Results
The 2023 spring phosphorus value for Lake Wanapitei is 5.3 µg/L. The average total spring phosphorus for Wanapitei Lake since 2001 is 4.37 µg/L which is well below the Provincial Water Quality Objective of 20.0 µg/L and indicates that this lake is likely oligotrophic.

For more detailed information, download the graph illustrating the spring phosphorus levels in Lake Wanapitei from 2001 to 2023 (PDF 77 KB).

General Information

Population
Lake Wanapitei has 370 permanent residents and 180 seasonal/recreational residents.

Location & Lake Characteristics
Lake Wanapitei is located in Norman, Rathburn, Scadding, and Maclennan townships. Lake Wanapitei has an area of 13,256.8 hectares and a shoreline perimeter of 160.4 kilometres. The maximum depth of the lake is 142 metres. View maps of Lake Wanapitei.

Watershed Information
Lake Wanapitei is located in the Wanapitei Watershed. For more information on the watershed, visit the following link: Watershed Map.

History
Lake Wanapitei is a crater formed by a meteorite that crashed into Earth approximately 35 million years ago. To the early Aboriginal peoples, the lake resembled a large molar so they named the lake Wanapaitei, which means "Molar Tooth" in their language.

Interesting Facts
Lake Wanapitei holds the record for the largest lake in the world completely contained within the boundaries of a single city.

Lake Stewardship
For more information about the Lake Wahnapitae Home and Campers Association, visit the Lake Stewardship Link.

Biological Characteristics

Fish Species
There is currently no data for fish species.

Aquatic Insects
There is currently no data for aquatic insects.

Aquatic Plants
There is currently no data for aquatic plants.