Professor's Lake


Professor's Lake is a spring-fed artificial lake located in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Beginning in 1918, the area where the lake currently exists was used as a gravel pit. In total, the pit produced approximately 20 million tonnes of sand and gravel. It reopened as a quarry from 1954 to 1973. After digging hit the water table, the gravel pit flooded and the lake was formed. Improvements to the resulting lake were undertaken in 1973 by the company that owned the gravel pit operations, and it was at this time that it was given its name in honour of Hans Abromeit, a German professor of economics who was the company's president.
The lake is used extensively for sailing, windsurfing, fishing, and canoeing. Professor's Lake Recreation Centre is located on the southern side of the lake and has a beach for swimming as well as a waterslide. There are also three volleyball courts at the far end of the beach.
The immediate residential neighborhood surrounding the lake is also widely referred to as Professor's Lake. Residential homes surround much of the lake, with a small park on the northwest side. The park continues on the east side of lake with a beach, small boat dock and city recreation centre. A paved 2 kilometre promenade surrounds part of the lake. Prior to residential development, the lake was farmland.
In August 1998, the beach was temporarily closed after a local fisherman caught a rogue piranha in the lake. The origins of the piranha remain unclear.