Jones Lake (Wahleach Lake)

Wahleach Lake, commonly known as Jones Lake, is a lake and reservoir located in the Skagit Range in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, east of the city of Chilliwack and southwest of the town of Hope. The lake, which was a resting place for Sto:lo people on their way to summer hunting grounds, was expanded by an earthfill dam and is now 6.4 km long and 1 km wide. At over 600 m above the level of the Fraser River, nearly all of its volume is diverted through the side of a flank of Mount Cheam, part of the Four Brothers Range, to the Wahleach Powerhouse which stands aside the Trans-Canada Highway east of Bridal Falls. When the Wahleach development was completed in 1952 it produced 14% of the power for the BC Electric Company, a predecessor to BC Hydro and a subsidiary of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company. As of 2008, it produces less than 1% of BC Hydro's generating capacity but is ranked as one of the company's most efficient operations. In addition to a private-run recreational cabin operation, there are three campgrounds operated by BC Hydro as part of its recreation areas program, with approximately 60 campsites in three different campgrounds.