| Lake Arenal | |
|---|---|
 A view from the southwest side looking across at the north depth 30–60 m (98–197 ft) | |
  Lake Arenal Location in Costa Rica | |
| Location | Alajuela and Guanacaste Provinces, Costa Rica |
| Coordinates | 10°30′19″N 84°52′20″W / 10.505167°N 84.872168°W |
| Max. length | 30 kilometres (19 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 85 square kilometres (33 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 100 metres (330 ft) |
| Islands | Isla Arenal |
| Settlements | Nuevo Arenal, Tronadora |
| Official name | Cuenca Embalse Arenal |
| Designated | 7 March 2000 |
| Reference no. | 1022[1] |
Lake Arenal (Spanish: Lago Arenal) is a lake in the northern highlands of Costa Rica. It is the largest lake in Costa Rica at 85-square-kilometre (33 sq mi). Its depth varies between 30 and 60 meters (100–200 feet) seasonally.[2]
Originally a natural lake, Lake Arenal was tripled in size with the 1979 construction of the Presa Sangregado Dam at its northern end. All land below the 550-meter level was expropriated by the Costa Rican government. The old towns of Arenal and Tronadora now lie at the bottom of the lake; their residents were resettled in the new town of Arenal to the northeast. The dam also displaced a large cattle operation, Hacienda La Rosita, which was owned and operated by P. Eckrich & Sons, a subsidiary of the U.S. corporation Beatrice Foods.[3] Hacienda La Rosita occupied most of the land that is now Lake Arenal as well as additional land surrounding the lake.
- ^ "Cuenca Embalse Arenal". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Stater, Adam. "Lake Arenal Depth".
- ^ https://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/beatrice/pdf/1972BFar_Complete.pdf [bare URL PDF]