Blue Lake (Alaska)

Blue Lake (Tlingit: Gajook Héen Yik.áayi) is a 3 miles (4.8 km) long reservoir located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the town of Sitka, on the west side of Baranof Island, in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska.

Name and geology

The local descriptive name was reported in 1910 by Knopf (1912, fig 4), in United States Geological Survey.

Blue Lake, as its name suggests, possesses a deep blue hue to its water. Blue Lake's water sources are partially from snowpack and small glaciers from the glacially carved, U-shaped, Blue Lake valley in which it lies.

Dam

Blue lake was first dammed in 1913 by Sitka Wharf and Power Company. It sold its operation to the city in 1942. Floods damaged the infrastructure in 1943 and 1947.

Blue Lake was dammed again in 1958, greatly expanding the lake's size from 490 acres (2.0 km²) to 1,225 acres (5 km²) and increasing its height from 208 ft (63 m) to 342 ft. Dam fluctuations allow the lake elevation to vary up to 60 ft (18 m). The Blue Lake dam, along with the Green Lake Dam, combine to make Sitka's mainstream power sources exclusively hydroelectric.

Blue Lake (Utah)

Blue Lake is a large geothermal pond located about 16 mi (26 km) south of Wendover, Utah at 40°30′07″N 114°01′56″W / 40.50194°N 114.03222°W / 40.50194; -114.03222. The lake is 60 feet (18 m) deep, approximately 9 acres in size and at an elevation of 4,300 ft (1,311 m) above sea level. It is located on the Utah Test and Training Range, which is controlled by the United States Air Force, but the lake and its immediate surroundings are publicly accessible wetlands that are managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM permits public access and use but does not permit the erection of permanent structures.

Scuba diving

Blue Lake is a popular spot for area divers. Since its water is warm year-round and reasonably clear, the lake is heavily used on the weekends for dive training, with programs such as the University of Utah Scuba Program. Other nearby high-mountain lakes are clear but cold even in early fall; and lower, warmer lakes tend to be murky. Blue Lake's constant high-volume flow of clear springwater provides underwater visibility of up to 40 feet (12 m) at (rare) times, and year-round bottom temperatures of approximately 85 °F (29 °C). Surface temperatures vary from the high 60s (~20 °C) in winter to the high 70s (~25 °C) in summer.

Blue Lake (Madera County, California)

Blue Lake is a lake in Madera County, California, in the United States.

The name is likely descriptive.

See also

References

Coordinates: 37°40′48″N 119°16′57″W / 37.6800°N 119.2824°W / 37.6800; -119.2824