The panama canal is much more than a canal to transit vessels toestablish the waterway the gatun lake was created in 1913 by building a dam at the chagres river before it reaches the atlantic ocean every time a ship crosses the canal toward the pacific ocean at themirafloreslocks or toward the atlantic ocean at the gatun locks 52 000 000 gallons of fresh water are spilledfrom gatun lake it was once the worlds biggest artificial lake with the creation of gatun lake many mountain top