Echo Lake (Saskatchewan)

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Echo Lake
Echo Lake 03.jpg
Echo Lake
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Echo Lake
Location in Saskatchewan
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Echo Lake
Echo Lake (Canada)
Location Saskatchewan
Group Fishing Lakes
Coordinates 50°48′0″N103°51′2″W / 50.80000°N 103.85056°W / 50.80000; -103.85056
Part of Red River drainage basin
Primary inflows Qu'Appelle River at Sioux Crossing
Primary outflows Qu'Appelle River
Basin  countriesCanada
Max. length5 km (3.1 mi)
Max. width1.7 km (1.1 mi)
Surface area1,296.3 ha (3,203 acres)
Average depth9.8 m (32 ft)
Max. depth22 m (72 ft)
Water volume242,000 dam3 (196,000 acre⋅ft)
Shore length116 km (9.9 mi)
Surface elevation474 m (1,555 ft)
Settlements Fort Qu'Appelle
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Echo Lake [1] is a lake along the course of the Qu'Appelle River in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Echo Lake is so named because of the echo heard by the First Nations while paddling on the lake. It is one of four lakes that make up the Fishing Lakes. [2] [3] Pasqua Lake is upstream and Mission Lake is downstream. The lake can be accessed by Highway 56 and Highway 210. [4] In 1942, a 4-metre (13 ft) high dam was built on the Qu'Appelle River at Echo Lake's outflow to control the lake's water levels. [5] In the summer of 2024, Saskatchewan's Water Security Agency begun "interim repairs" on Echo Lake Dam to "improve safety and extend the dam's life until a replacement can be completed". [6]

Contents

Echo Lake, as well as the other three Fishing Lakes, are all in the Qu'Appelle Valley, which was formed about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age. Meltwater from the glaciers carved out the valley and as water levels rose and fell, alluvium was left in the wake. These piles of alluvium are what created the separations between the lakes. [7]

Communities

Echo Lake is located in the RM of North Qu'Appelle No. 187. The town of Fort Qu'Appelle is the largest community, not just on Echo Lake, but all of the Fishing Lakes. It is located at the eastern end of the lake, between Echo and Mission Lakes. Echo Lake is home to two resort villages; B-Say-Tah is on a point of land along the southern shore and Fort San is located opposite B-Say-Tah on the northern shore. Standing Buffalo Indian reserve is located at the north-western corner of the lake and occupies the northern half of the isthmus that separated Echo Lake from Pasqua Lake.

Recreation

Echo Valley Provincial Park is located at the western end of the lake, south of Standing Buffalo and west of B-Say-Tah. The park features camping, hiking, and access to both Pasqua and Echo Lakes for boating, swimming, and fishing. The beach at the park is called Echo Beach. Other beaches along the lake's shore include B-Say-Tah Point Beach and Fort Qu’Appelle Valley Centre beach. [8]

Echo Lake Bible Camp [9] is located west of Fort San along Highway 57.

Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery

The Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery (formally Fort Qu’Appelle Fish Culture Station), originally established in 1913, is located along Highway 210, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Fort Qu'Appelle and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Echo Valley Provincial Park, on the west side of B-Say-Tah. The hatchery produces between 40 and 50 million total fish annually, including both exotic and native species, which includes 500,000 trout and 20 million walleye. The hatchery is responsible for stocking over 200 bodies of water in Saskatchewan, including up to 150 lakes. It is the only aquaculture facility in Saskatchewan that produces fish for public angling opportunities. [10] [11]

In November 2014, the administration of the Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery was transferred from the Government of Saskatchewan to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. The operating costs are funded by Saskatchewan’s Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF). [12] [13]

Fish species

Fish commonly found in the lake include northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

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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.

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The Fishing Lakes, also called the Calling Lakes or the Qu'Appelle Lakes, are a chain of four lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley cottage country about 40 miles (64 km) to the north-east of Regina in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lakes are 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. The Fishing Lakes all follow the course of the Qu'Appelle River, which flows from the west to the east and is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The lakes sit in the deep-cut Qu'Appelle Valley that was formed about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age. Meltwater from the glaciers carved out the valley and as water levels rose and fell, alluvium was left in the wake. These piles of alluvium are what created the separations between the lakes.

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Highway 210 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan's 200-series highways primarily service its recreational areas. It runs from Highway 10 to Highway 35 in Fort Qu'Appelle. The highway intersects Highway 56 and passes through Echo Valley Provincial Park, B-Say-Tah, and provides access to Pasqua and Echo Lakes of the Fishing Lakes. It is about 21 kilometres (13 mi) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rural Municipality of North Qu'Appelle No. 187</span> Rural municipality in Saskatchewan, Canada

The Rural Municipality of North Qu'Appelle No. 187 is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 6 and SARM Division No. 1. It is located in the south-east portion of the province.

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B-Say-Tah is a resort village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 6. It is on the shores of Echo Lake of the Fishing Lakes in the Rural Municipality of North Qu'Appelle No. 187. It is approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) north-east of Regina and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Fort Qu'Appelle on Highway 210. Echo Valley Provincial Park is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the west.

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Echo Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, located west of the town of Fort Qu'Appelle in the Qu'Appelle Valley between Echo Lake and Pasqua Lake in the RM of North Qu'Appelle No. 187. The three main roads to access the park are Highways 210, 56, and 727.

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Katepwa Lake is a recreational lake in the Qu’appelle Valley in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lake's name likely originated from the Cree word Kahtapwao, which means "What is calling?" Katepwa Lake is eastern most and farthest downstream of four lakes along the Qu'Appelle River known as the Fishing Lakes. Highway 56 runs along the eastern and southern shore and Highway 619 runs along the south-eastern shore.

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Pasqua Lake is a lake along the course of the Qu'Appelle River in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Pasqua Lake was named after Chief Joseph Pasqua who formed what became the Pasqua First Nation. It is one of four lakes that make up the Fishing Lakes, which are all in the Qu'Appelle Valley. The Qu'Appelle Valley was formed about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age as meltwater from the glaciers carved out the valley. As water levels rose and fell, alluvium was left in the wake. These piles of alluvium are what created the separations between the lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Lake</span> Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada

Mission Lake, also known as Lebret Lake, is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is one of four lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley known as the Fishing Lakes. Echo Lake is upstream and Katepwa Lake is downstream. The lake was named Mission after the Catholic mission at Lebret. Highways 22 35, and 56 provide access to the lake.

Craven Dam is at the confluence of the Qu'Appelle River and Last Mountain Creek and immediately east of the village of Craven on the Qu'Appelle River at LSD SW 24-20-21 W2. It is in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the RM of Longlaketon No. 219. The dam does not create a reservoir as its purpose is to regulate water flow along the Qu'Appelle River. The dam is operated by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency and can be accessed on the north side by Highway 99.

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References

  1. Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. "Place names - Echo Lake". www4.rncan.gc.ca.
  2. "Boating". RM of North Qu'Appelle No. 187. RM North Qu'Appelle. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  3. "Lower Qu'Appelle River Watershed".
  4. "Qu'Appelle Lakes, Saskatchewan, Canada Vacation Info - LakeLubbers".
  5. "Dams and Reservoirs". Water Security Agency. Water Security Agency. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  6. "Sask. Water Security Agency spends $18M on infrastructure projects". CKOM News. Rawlco Radio Ltd. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  7. "Qu'Appelle Valley Geolog".
  8. "Beaches". rm north quappelle. RM NORTH QU'APPELLE. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  9. "ELBC". elbc. ECHO LAKE BIBLE CAMP. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  10. "Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery". tourism Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Parks. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  11. "B-Say-Tah". esask.uregina. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  12. "Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery".
  13. "Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery". swf. Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  14. "Echo Lake". Angler's Atlas. Angler's Atlas. Retrieved 15 November 2021.