Lake Arenal

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 / 10.505167; -84.872168
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
Ramsar Wetland
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.