23-744: 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,
46-704: 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. 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
69-701: Is a provincial recreation site in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan at the confluence of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers . The rivers, which have their headwaters in the Rocky Mountains , come together to form the Saskatchewan River . A major intersection when waterways were important to transportation on the Canadian Prairies , first with the fur trade and then during
92-634: 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 . Two main gravity fed aqueducts (canals) from the lake were built in 1967 as part of the South Saskatchewan River Project to supply water to downstream reservoirs for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial uses. The Westside Irrigation Project supplies water to
115-679: Is heavily wooded with steep banks. There is a tourist picnic site, hiking trails, and historic markers. In 1692, Englishman Henry Kelsey — while working for the Hudson's Bay Company — was the first European to reach the Saskatchewan River Forks. While he didn't set up a trading fort at the Forks, his journey helped open up the prairies for the North American fur trade . Trading posts along rivers were important to European fur traders. In 1751,
138-782: Is in Alberta on the Canadian Forces Base Suffield . Covering an area of 460.71 km (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
161-613: 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
184-505: Is named for a former Premier of Saskatchewan and longtime federal cabinet minister, James G. Gardiner . South Saskatchewan River 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
207-572: Is the confluence of the South and North Saskatchewan Rivers and is the beginning of the Saskatchewan River . 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
230-623: 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
253-592: 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. 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
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#1732845286339276-462: 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 . The South Saskatchewan River (Empress to Lancer Ferry) (SK 046) IBA ( 50°56′09″N 109°52′06″W / 50.9359°N 109.8682°W / 50.9359; -109.8682 )
299-409: The riverboat era, today the Saskatchewan River Forks attract tourists, canoeists, and recreational fishermen. The recreation site, which is maintained by the province of Saskatchewan, is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Prince Albert and 33 kilometres (21 mi) north of Weldon . Access is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) off Highway 302 . The park is on the west side of the river fork and
322-629: 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. 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
345-553: 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 . A 2009 report, produced by WWF-Canada which analysed the river flow on ten major Canadian rivers reported that
368-430: 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. Dickson Dam regulates water supply downstream on
391-585: The amount of land irrigated from Lake Diefenbaker to up to 500,000 acres. Phase one and two of the project will rehabilitate and expand the existing Westside Irrigation canal system. Phase three will see a system built south from the Qu'Appelle River Dam called the Qu’Appelle South Irrigation Project. Danielson Provincial Park has property on both sides of the dam. On the north-east end is the RV park and on
414-438: The irrigation benefits. The following are the tributaries of the South Saskatchewan River from its source to its mouth: The following is a list of named islands in the South Saskatchewan River from its source to its mouth: Sections of the riverbank along the South Saskatchewan River are prone to slumping . Since its founding, the city of Saskatoon has dealt with a number of slope failures. Controlling riverbank development
437-675: 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 . 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 . Saskatchewan River Forks Saskatchewan River Forks
460-491: The south-west end is a beach , restaurant , and guided tours of the Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station . The park was named after Gustaf Herman Danielson (former Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLA). An integrated power generating plant, SaskPower 's Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station , produces a net 186 MW of electricity from three 62 MW generators. Highway 44 crosses the river atop the dam. The dam
483-508: The west side of the South Saskatchewan River and the Eastside Irrigation Project supplies water to the east side of the South Saskatchewan River. Notable reservoirs on the Eastside Irrigation Project include Broderick Reservoir , Brightwater Reservoir , Blackstrap Lake , Bradwell Reservoir , and Zelma Reservoir . On July 2, 2020, Premier Scott Moe announced a 10-year, $ 4 billion irrigation expansion project that would increase
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#1732845286339506-472: Was a factor in establishing the Meewasin Valley Authority in 1979. 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. Suffield (AB 007) ( 50°27′54″N 110°31′59″W / 50.4651°N 110.5331°W / 50.4651; -110.5331 )
529-544: 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. 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
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