Pakowki Lake

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Pakowki Lake
Pakowki Lake, aerial photograph, August 2013
Pakowki Lake Show map of Canada Pakowki Lake Show map of Alberta
Location	County of Forty Mile No. 8, Alberta
Coordinates	49°18′24″N 110°54′18″W / 49.30667°N 110.90500°W / 49.30667; -110.90500
Lake type	Endorheic lake, slough
Primary inflows	Etzikom Coulee, Irrigation Creek, Erickson Coulee, Ketchum Creek, Canal Creek, Bond Coulee, Bryant Coulee
Primary outflows	None
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	35 km (22 mi)
Max. width	8 km (5.0 mi)
Surface area	123 km2 (47 sq mi)
Average depth	1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Surface elevation	860 m (2,820 ft)

Pakowki Lake is an endorheic lake in Alberta, Canada located south of Etzikom, Alberta and not far north is the former town site of Pakowki which may have received its name from the lake.

It is located in the prairies of Southern Alberta, at an elevation of 860 metres (2,820 ft), in the County of Forty Mile No. 8. It is fed by a number of coulees and creeks, such as Etzikom Coulee, Irrigation Creek, Erickson Coulee, Ketchum Creek, Canal Creek, Bond Coulee and Bryant Coulee, and has no outflow. Reaching a maximum extent of 123 km² (47 sq mi), it is one of the largest lakes in the province.

The name means "bad water" in Blackfoot language,^[1] named so for the bad smell caused by the lack of an outflow. While it is the largest water body in southern Alberta, its waters are intermittent, and it can be classified as a slough. In times of flooding, the lake overflows through a channel into the Milk River, which flows 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of the lake.