South Saskatchewan River

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South Saskatchewan River
South Saskatchewan River.jpg
The University Bridge over the South Saskatchewan River at Saskatoon
South Saskatchewan basin map.png
The South Saskatchewan River drainage basin
Canada Saskatchewan relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
The mouth in Saskatchewan
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
South Saskatchewan River (Canada)
Location
CountryCanada
Provinces
Physical characteristics
Source confluence Oldman and Bow Rivers
 • location Municipal District of Taber, Alberta
 • coordinates 49°56′00″N111°41′30″W / 49.93333°N 111.69167°W / 49.93333; -111.69167
 • elevation700 m (2,300 ft)
Mouth Saskatchewan River
 • location
 Saskatchewan River Forks, Saskatchewan
 • coordinates
 53°14′6″N105°4′58″W / 53.23500°N 105.08278°W / 53.23500; -105.08278 Coordinates: 53°14′6″N105°4′58″W / 53.23500°N 105.08278°W / 53.23500; -105.08278
 • elevation
380 m (1,250 ft)
Length1,392 km (865 mi)
Basin size146,100 km2 (56,400 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • location Saskatoon, SK
 • average249 m3/s (8,800 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • left
 • right

The South Saskatchewan River [1] 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.

Contents

For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ice breaks and dangerous conditions in Saskatoon, Medicine Hat, and elsewhere. At least one bridge in Saskatoon was destroyed by ice carried by the river. The construction of the Gardiner Dam in the 1960s, however, lessened the power of the river by diverting a substantial portion of the South Saskatchewan's natural flow into the Qu'Appelle River. By the 1980s many permanent sandbars had formed due to the lowering of the level of the river.

From the headwaters of the Bow River, the South Saskatchewan flows for 1,392 kilometres (865 mi). At its mouth at Saskatchewan River Forks, it has an average discharge of 280 cubic metres per second (9,900 cu ft/s) and has a watershed of 146,100 square kilometres (56,400 sq mi), 1,800 of which are in Montana in the United States and 144,300 square kilometres (55,700 sq mi) in Alberta and Saskatchewan. [2]

Course

Highway 15 bridge near Outlook, Saskatchewan. Outlook Sask Highway Bridge 2010.jpg
Highway 15 bridge near Outlook, Saskatchewan.

The river originates at the confluence of the Bow and Oldman Rivers, north of Grassy Lake, Alberta at the incorporated community of Bow Island, not to be confused with the town of Bow Island, Alberta. The waters of these two rivers, in turn, originate from winter snowpack and rainfall in the Rocky Mountains near the British Columbia and Montana border. Glacier and snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains and foothills contributes nearly 90% of the annual flow, with most of that contribution during July and August. [3] The Red Deer River is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan merging 16 kilometres (10 mi) east of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The Lake Diefenbaker reservoir was created with the construction of the Gardiner and Qu'Appelle River dams in Saskatchewan. Water from the South Saskatchewan flowing through the dams provides approximately 19 percent of the hydro-electricity generated by SaskPower. [4]

Downstream from the dam the river flows north through Saskatoon and joins the North Saskatchewan River east of Prince Albert at the Saskatchewan River Forks — thus forming the Saskatchewan River. For approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) near Saskatoon, the Meewasin Valley Authority is responsible for conservation of the river environment. Numerous lakes in the Saskatoon area were formed by oxbows of the South Saskatchewan River, most notably Moon Lake and Pike Lake. [3]

A 2009 report, [5] produced by WWF-Canada which analysed the river flow on ten major Canadian rivers reported that the South Saskatchewan River was the most at risk. Climate change, agricultural and urban infrastructure water use, and dams producing hydroelectricity, have all combined to reduce the flow of the South Saskatchewan River by 70 percent. Developers and governments have been cautioned to protect and restore the river with sustainable projects and limit water diversion. [6] Dickson Dam regulates water supply downstream on the Red Deer River; the Bassano Dam and 11 other dams divert water on the Bow River and in the Bow River basin; and the Oldman River Dam and Waterton-St. Mary Headworks System manage water flow downstream of the Oldman River. [7] The proposed Meridian dam 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Leader and 95 kilometres (59 mi) north east of Medicine Hat was cancelled due to project costs outweighing the irrigation benefits. [8] [9]

Tributaries

The South Saskatchewan River at Empress, AB where it receives the Red Deer River J27812 EmpressAB-RivSSask-Empress 20110926-144836.jpg
The South Saskatchewan River at Empress, AB where it receives the Red Deer River

The following are the tributaries of the South Saskatchewan River from its source to its mouth: [10]

Islands

The following is a list of named islands in the South Saskatchewan River from its source to its mouth:

Geology

Sections of the riverbank along the South Saskatchewan River are prone to slumping. [12] Since its founding, the city of Saskatoon has dealt with a number of slope failures. Controlling riverbank development was a factor in establishing the Meewasin Valley Authority in 1979. [13]

Important Bird Areas of Canada

There are four Important Bird Areas (IBA) of Canada along the South Saskatchewan River. Two – Galloway and Miry Bay (SK006) and East Lake Diefenbaker (SK055) – are located at Lake Diefenbaker and the other two are farther upstream along the river's course. [14] [15]

Suffield (AB 007) ( 50°27′54″N110°31′59″W / 50.4651°N 110.5331°W / 50.4651; -110.5331 ) is in Alberta on the Canadian Forces Base Suffield. Covering an area of 460.71 km2 (177.88 sq mi), the IBA consists of two sections on the base along the north-western shore of the South Saskatchewan River. The landscape consists of mixed grasslands with intermittent salt lakes and natural springs. Birds found at the site include the burrowing owl, loggerhead shrike, long-billed curlew, ferruginous hawk, McCown's longspur, Brewer's sparrow, upland sandpiper, Baird's sparrow, Sprague's pipit, grasshopper sparrow, western meadowlark, golden eagle, and the prairie falcon. Besides the aforementioned birds, the habitat is also important for several animals,  including the mule deer, pronghone antelope, Ord's kangaroo rat, pygmy short-horned lizard, western hognosed snake, and the prairie rattlesnake. [16]

The South Saskatchewan River (Empress to Lancer Ferry) (SK 046) IBA ( 50°56′09″N109°52′06″W / 50.9359°N 109.8682°W / 50.9359; -109.8682 ) is in Saskatchewan and follows the course of the South Saskatchewan River from the Alberta / Saskatchewan border east to the Lancer Ferry crossing and includes the river's valley and the fork with the Red Deer River. The site covers an area of 208.6 km (129.6 mi). The valley floor is heavily wooded and includes trees such as the eastern cottonwood, Manitoba maple, peach-leaved willow, and the green ash. Birds found at the site include the long-billed curlew, piping plover, loggerhead shrike, short-eared owl, ferruginous hawk, red-headed woodpecker, prairie falcon, turkey vulture, golden eagle, great horned owl, western screech owl, pileated woodpecker, western wood pewee, rock wren, alder flycatcher, yellow-breasted chat, and the great blue heron. [17]

Fish species

Fish species include walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, lake trout, rainbow trout, goldeye, lake whitefish, cisco, lake sturgeon, burbot, quillback, longnose sucker, white sucker, and shorthead redhorse. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, 729 miles (1,173 km) long, in the U.S. state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, the river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of 23,800 square miles (62,000 km2), ending just east of Fort Peck, Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatchewan River</span> River in Canada

The Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada. It stretches about 550 kilometres (340 mi) from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winnipeg. It flows roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to empty into Lake Winnipeg. Through its tributaries the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan, its watershed encompasses much of the prairie regions of Canada, stretching westward to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and north-western Montana in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle Creek (Milk River tributary)</span> River in central North America

Battle Creek is a river that begins in the south-eastern region of the Canadian province of Alberta, near the border with Saskatchewan, in the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. From Alberta, Battle Creek flows east and across the border into Saskatchewan. It flows south out of Saskatchewan across the Canada–United States border into Montana, where it joins the Milk River in Blaine County, Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardiner Dam</span> Dam in Saskatchewan

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qu'Appelle River</span> River in Western Canada

The Qu'Appelle River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba that flows 430 kilometres (270 mi) east from Lake Diefenbaker in south-western Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near the village of St. Lazare. It is located 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oldman River</span> River in Alberta, Canada

The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into the Hudson Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elbow River</span> River in Alberta, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Deer River</span> River in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada

The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan-Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay.

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

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. Lake Diefenbaker provides water for domestic irrigation and town water supplies. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Saskatchewan River</span> River in Western Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Mountain Lake</span> Lake in Saskatchewan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatchewan River Delta</span> Inland river delta in Western Canada

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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).

Danielson Provincial Park is located at the northern end of Lake Diefenbaker in the southern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park surrounds the Gardiner Dam, which was built in 1967 and is among the largest embankment dams in Canada and the world. The South Saskatchewan River flows north beyond the park, towards Outlook and Saskatoon. Saskatchewan Highways 44, 45, and 219 provide access to the park. SaskPower's Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station is located near the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brightwater Creek</span> River in Saskatchewan, Canada

Brightwater Creek is a river in south central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Creek (Saskatchewan)</span> River in Saskatchewan, Canada

Thunder Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The watershed of Thunder Creek is within the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle in south-central Saskatchewan. It begins at small, man-made reservoir near Lake Diefenbaker and flows in a south-easterly direction towards the city of Moose Jaw and the Moose Jaw River. The Moose Jaw River is a major tributary of the Qu'Appelle River For most of its course, Thunder Creek follows a valley called the Thunder Creek meltwater channel that was formed over 10,000 years ago near the end of the last ice age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Deer River (Manitoba)</span> River in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada

Red Deer River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It has its source at Nut Lake in east central Saskatchewan and from there, it flows east towards Manitoba where it empties into Dawson Bay of Lake Winnipegosis. To the north of Red Deer's basin is the Saskatchewan River, to the south-west is the upper Assiniboine River, and to the south-east is Swan River.

References

  1. ↑ "South Saskatchewan River". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Atlas of Canada. "Rivers in Canada" . Retrieved 1 May 2007.
    (Webpage shows that the South Saskatchewan River has a much higher flow than the Saskatchewan River. But since the South is a tributary of the Saskatchewan River, it must be assumed that the data is reversed.)
  3. 1 2 Shook, Kevin (26 October 2015). "The effects of the management of Lake Diefenbaker on downstream flooding". South Saskatchewan River Basin. 41 (1–2): 261–272. doi:10.1080/07011784.2015.1092887. S2CID   52262533 . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  4. ↑ SaskPower (2012). "SaskPower Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Annual Report. p. 18. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  5. ↑ Canada's rivers at risk: Environmental Flows and Canada's Freshwater Future (PDF), 2009, retrieved 23 September 2014
  6. ↑ De Sousa, Mike (15 October 2009). "South Sask River threatened". CanWest News Service. Calgary Herald. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  7. ↑ "South Saskatchewan River Basin Water Management Plan" (PDF). Alberta Environment. Government of Alberta. January 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Sask Water to study Meridian Dam Proposal". News Releases. Government of Saskatchewan. 18 May 2001. Retrieved 18 May 2001.
  9. ↑ "Alberta, Saskatchewan shelve plans for Meridian Dam". CBC News. 11 March 2002. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  10. ↑ "South Saskatchewan River Watershed". Water Security Agency. Water Security Agency. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Bow Island". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  12. ↑ Hodgins, Larry Edwin (July 1970). "Morphology of the South Saskatchewan River Valley : outlook to Saskatoon" (PDF). Retrieved 22 November 2017.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ↑ Clifton, A.W.; Krahn, J.; Fredlund, D.G. (1981). "Riverbank instability and development control in Saskatoon". Canadian Geotechnical Journal . NRC Research Press. 18: 95–105. doi:10.1139/t81-009.
  14. ↑ "Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas". Nature Alberta. Nature Alberta. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas". Nature Saskatchewan. Nature Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Suffield". IBA Canada. Birds Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "South Saskatchewan River (Empress to Lancer Ferry)". IBA Canada. Birds Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  18. ↑ Fish Species of Saskatchewan (PDF). Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
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