Brightwater Creek | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Canada |
Provinces | Saskatchewan |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | RM of Rosedale No. 283 |
• coordinates | 51°22′04″N106°17′31″W / 51.3679°N 106.2919°W |
Mouth | South Saskatchewan River |
• location | RM of Corman Park No. 344 |
• coordinates | 51°58′53″N106°43′26″W / 51.9813°N 106.7239°W |
Length | 270 km (170 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Saskatchewan River |
[1] |
Brightwater Creek is a river in south central part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River [2] in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion. Along the river's course there is a dam and reservoir and a regional park. There are no communities along its course.
Brightwater Creek starts south of Kenaston in the south-east corner of the RM of Rosedale No. 283. After a short jog west, it turns north and travels in a north-northwest direction, passing Highway 15 about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of Kenaston, until it flows into Brightwater Reservoir. [3] Brightwater Reservoir was created by the building of the Brightwater Creek Dam in 1967 as part of the South Saskatchewan River Project, which included the building of Gardiner Dam [4] and the creation of Lake Diefenbaker. From the dam, the river takes a meandering course northwards and crosses Highway 764. Then it travels north towards Indi Lake, past the closed basin Proctor Lake, [5] and into Brightwater Lake. [6] Indi Lake flows to Brightwater Creek via a short stream. At the northern end of Brightwater Lake, at the point where the river leaves the lake, is the town of Dundurn. [7] From there, the river travels north past Camp Dundurn [8] and empties into the South Saskatchewan River.
Beaver Creek Conservation Area ( 51°58′47″N106°42′57″W / 51.9796°N 106.7159°W ) is a regional park [9] that was founded in 1979 and is operated by the Meewasin Valley Authority. It is accessed from Highway 219, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south of Saskatoon, and located on the estuary of Brightwater Creek at the South Saskatchewan River. The community of Beaver Creek is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the park.
The interpretive centre was built in 1984 and offers interactive activities for school groups. There are three different trails, Living Sky, Beaver Creek Discovery, and Beaver Creek River View, that traverse the park. The trails are accessible by walking, biking, and, in the winter, cross-country skiing. [10]
The land the park encompasses has been used as a nature park since 1913 and protects the local habitat, including sand dunes, forests, prairie grasslands, river valleys, and marshes. Animals, birds, and plants such as deer, fox, beaver, chickadee, smooth goosefoot, and the common nighthawk are commonly found in the park. [11] [12]
Brightwater Reservoir ( 51°36′00″N106°32′02″W / 51.6001°N 106.5339°W ) is a man-made lake in the RM of Rosedale No. 283 created in 1967 when Brightwater Creek Dam, [13] an embankment dam, was built on the Brightwater Creek. The reservoir has a surface area of 235 ha (580 acres) and a maximum volume of 12,631 dam3 (10,240 acre⋅ft). The dam is located at the north end of the lake and is 14 m (46 ft) high. Brightwater Creek enters the lake from the south while the aqueduct inflow is located at the west end of the dam. The outflows are at the east end of the dam. The outlet for the aqueduct is referred to as the riparian outlet. [14]
The aqueduct system is part of the South Saskatchewan River Project. The portion of aqueduct that flows into Brightwater Reservoir originates at Gardiner Dam from Lake Diefenbaker. Another reservoir, Broderick Reservoir, is along the same aqueduct en route from Lake Diefenbaker. After the aqueduct leaves Brightwater Reservoir, it heads directly north towards Indi Lake. While Brightwater Creek runs along the west side of Indi Lake, the aqueduct runs along the east side en route to Blackstrap Lake.
Brightwater Lake ( 51°46′00″N106°32′41″W / 51.7667°N 106.5446°W ), also known as Brightwater Marsh, [15] is a shallow, oval-shaped marshy lake along the course of Brightwater Creek. The area covered by the lake is approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long by 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide. Brightwater Creek enters the lake from the south and exits it from the north, near the town of Dundurn. During dry years, the lake almost completely dries up. It is 514 metres (1,686 ft) above sea level.
Fishing is allowed on Brightwater Creek; the most popular species caught are northern pike and yellow perch. [16]
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in central Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan River Forks is the confluence of the South and North Saskatchewan Rivers and is the beginning of the Saskatchewan River.
The Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan is the third largest embankment dam in Canada and one of the largest embankment dams in the world. Construction on Gardiner Dam and the smaller Qu'Appelle River Dam was started in 1959 and completed in 1967, creating Lake Diefenbaker upstream and diverting a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan's flow into the Qu'Appelle River. The dam rises 64 metres (209 feet) in height, is almost 5 km (3.1 mi) long and has a width of 1.5 km (0.93 mi) at its base with a volume of 65,000,000 cubic meters. The dam is owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.
Lake Diefenbaker is a reservoir and bifurcation lake in southern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was formed by the construction of Gardiner Dam and the Qu'Appelle River Dam across the South Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle Rivers respectively. Construction began in 1959 and the lake was filled in 1967. The lake is 225 kilometres (140 mi) long with approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) of shoreline. It has a maximum depth of 66 metres (217 ft), while the water levels regularly fluctuate 3–9 metres (9–27 feet) each year. The flow of the two rivers is now regulated with a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan diverted into the Qu'Appelle. Prior to the dams' construction, high water levels in the South Saskatchewan would frequently cause dangerous ice conditions downstream in Saskatoon while the Qu'Appelle would frequently dry up in the summer months.
Canadian Forces Detachment Dundurn is a Canadian Forces facility located near the town of Dundurn, Saskatchewan and approximately 40 km south of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan along the east bank of Brightwater Creek.
The Antler River is located in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America's Great Plains in south-eastern Saskatchewan and south-western Manitoba in Canada in an area known as Palliser's Triangle. Its source is in Saskatchewan's Moose Mountain Upland and it is a major tributary of the Souris River. As a result, its flood levels are monitored by the United States Geological Survey.
Last Mountain Lake, also known as Long Lake, is a prairie lake formed from glaciation 11,000 years ago. It is located in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of the city of Regina. It flows into the Qu'Appelle River via Last Mountain Creek, which flows past Craven. It is approximately 93 km (58 mi) long, and 3 km (1.9 mi) wide at its widest point. It is the largest naturally occurring body of water in southern Saskatchewan. Only Lake Diefenbaker, which is man-made, is larger. The lake is a popular resort area for residents of south-eastern Saskatchewan.
Dundurn is a town of 647 residents surrounded by the RM of Dundurn No. 314, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Dundurn is located on Highway 11, or Louis Riel Trail, in central Saskatchewan, about 42 km south of Saskatoon. As well as being an agricultural town, it is a bedroom community for both Saskatoon and Canadian Forces Detachment Dundurn, which is located 6 kilometres (4 mi) north of town and is a detachment of 17 Wing Winnipeg.
Wascana Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is a tributary of the Qu'Appelle River.
Torch River is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The river's source is the dam at Candle Lake, near Candle Lake Provincial Park, and it travels east through boreal forest and muskeg en route to its mouth in the Saskatchewan River Delta. Torch River Provincial Forest, a conservation area, is located along the course of the river, near where White Fox River flows into Torch River. Torch River is a significant tributary of the Saskatchewan River and it is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin.
Boundary Dam Reservoir is a man-made lake in the south-east corner of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is in census division 1, in the RM of Estevan. The closest city is Estevan, which is about 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) downstream. There are no towns or villages along the lake's shore but there are two subdivisions and a regional park. The subdivisions, which are in the RM of Estevan, are called Sunset Bay and Lakewood. The primary inflow and outflow for the reservoir is Long Creek. There is a 10-kilometre long diversion channel that goes to McDonald Lake that can take excess water in either direction.
Blackstrap Lake is a man-made reservoir in central Saskatchewan, Canada, south of Saskatoon in the Rural Municipality of Dundurn No. 314. The lake was created as a reservoir in 1967, as part of the Saskatoon South East Water Supply System. Blackstrap Lake has an area of 1,200 ha and is generally used to support irrigation, and the industrial and municipal water supply.
Indi Lake is a man-made lake in central Saskatchewan, Canada, south of Saskatoon in the Rural Municipality of Dundurn No. 314. The lake was created for irrigation and recreation in 1967 by a dam located at its south end. The lake is part of a greater irrigation and aqueduct system built in the 1960s in Saskatchewan and was named after Indi, an unincorporated railway point nearby on the Canadian National Railway (CNR).
Waterhen River is an east-flowing river in the north-west area of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the drainage basin of the Beaver River. It is north of and parallel to the east-flowing part of the Beaver River and joins the north-flowing part of that river. Most of the river and its drainage basin is at the southern edge of the boreal forest belt. While the river's source is Lac des Îles, its drainage basin reaches north into the Mostoos Hills and west well into the neighbouring province of Alberta.
Moose Mountain Upland, Moose Mountain Uplands, or commonly Moose Mountain, is a hilly plateau located in the south-east corner of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, that covers an area of about 13,000 km2 (5,000 sq mi). The upland rises about 200 m (660 ft) above the broad, flat prairie which is about 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea level. The highest peak is "Moose Mountain" at 830 m (2,720 ft) above sea level. The area was named Moose Mountain because of the large number of moose that lived in the area. When it was originally used by fur traders, Métis, and the Indigenous peoples, the plateau was called Montagne a la Bosse, which is French for "The Mountain of The Bump or Knob."
Moose Mountain Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Its source is the Chapleau Lakes near Montmartre and it is a tributary of the Souris River, which, in turn, is a tributary of the Assiniboine River. The whole system is part of the Red River watershed, which is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin and in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion.
Lanigan Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located in the south central part of the province in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion.
Oak Lake is a lake in the south-western part of the Canadian province of Manitoba in a region called Westman. Oak Lake is a kettle lake and is an aquifer supplier for numerous nearby residential areas and farms. The lake is in the RM of Sifton and sits at an elevation of 426 metres above sea level. Provincial Road 254 provides access to the lake.
Eyebrow Lake is a man-made marshy lake that parallels the Qu'Appelle River in the southern region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Located in the RM of Huron No. 223, it is the first lake in a series of lakes along the Qu'Appelle River after Qu'Appelle River Dam and Lake Diefenbaker. The next lake downstream is Buffalo Pound Lake. The closest community is the village of Tugaske and while there are no public recreation sites at the lake, it can be accessed by Highway 627. The lake gets its name from the nearby Eyebrow Hills, which are shaped like an eyebrow. The nearby town of Eyebrow and RM of Eyebrow No. 193 are also named after these hills.
White Gull Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The river's source is White Gull Lake, near the south-western boundary of Narrow Hills Provincial Park and near the southern slopes of the Cub Hills. The river travels through boreal forest and muskeg en route to its mouth at the Torch River. The Torch River is a tributary of the Saskatchewan River as it flows into one of North America's largest inland fresh water deltas, the Saskatchewan River Delta. There are no communities nor settlements along the river.
The Cub Hills are a hilly plateau located south-east of the geographical centre of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are in the boreal forest ecozone of Canada and the landforms of the hills were shaped more than 10,000 years ago during last ice age. Throughout the Cub Hills, there are dozens of lakes and rivers and several parks. The Cubs Hills are 150 km (93 mi) north-east of Prince Albert and are in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District and Census Division #18. Several highways criss-cross the plateau to provide access to the various parks and other amenities.