History
Buntzen lake used to be named Trout Lake, and was also called Lake Beautiful, and was renamed to Buntzen Lake in 1905 at the opening of the tunnel to Coquitlam Lake.
In 1903 the lake was used to power Vancouver's first hydroelectric plant the Buntzen Powerhouse. A tunnel was excavated through Eagle Mountain from Coquitlam Lake to Buntzen Lake. Coquitlam Lake was dammed, and water flowed 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) through the tunnel to Buntzen Lake, and from there, through an outlet at the north end of the lake to two power generating stations on Indian Arm. The first, built in 1903, and the second built in 1914. The first plant was decommissioned in 1999; the second has been rebuilt and is still operational.
Buntzen Lake is also used in another power generating plant, Burrard Generating Station, a gas-powered plant, where water is used to produce steam for the generators.
The area around the lake is managed by BC Hydro as a recreation site and visitors can swim, fish, hike, and boat on the lake.
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