Makwa River is a river in the
Canadian province of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
in the transition zone between
parkland and
boreal forest
Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruc ...
. ''Makwa'' is
Cree for ''
Loon''. The upper reaches of the Makwa River's
watershed reach just across the border into
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
and includes lakes such as Hewett, Ministikwan,
Makwa, and
Jumbo
Jumbo (about December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and t ...
.
Description
Makwa River begins at the north-east corner of Makwa Lake in
Makwa Lake Provincial Park
Makwa Lake Provincial Park is a recreational provincial park in the west-central region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the transition zone between parkland and boreal forest. The park was established in 1986 and is centred aroun ...
and flows east then north-east to meet the
Beaver River. Downstream water flows are controlled by Makwa Lake Control dam at the outflow point of Makwa Lake. The main tributary for Makwa Lake is Ministikwan Creek, which has its source at
Ministikwan Lake. As Makwa River heads east, it is met by the south-flowing Horsehead Creek.
Makwa Lake Control
Makwa Lake Control () was originally built as a timber
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
in 1965. It is located north-west of the village of
Loon Lake at the outflow of Makwa Lake in Makwa Lake Provincial Park. In 2010, the dilapidated timber dam was replaced by a concrete one. The dam is high and has two radial gates and a riparian outlet. The original dam did not have a
fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as move ...
but one was built for the 2010 concrete one. The dam regulates water levels on Makwa, Upper Makwa, Jumbo, and Little Jumbo Lakes. Access to the dam is from
Highway 26.
See also
*
List of rivers of Saskatchewan
This is a list of rivers of Saskatchewan, a province of Canada.
The largest and most notable rivers are listed at the start, followed by rivers listed by drainage basin and then alphabetically.
Principal river statistics
''SourcSt ...
*
Hudson Bay drainage basin
The Hudson Bay drainage basin is the drainage basin in northern North America where surface water empties into Hudson Bay and adjoining waters. Spanning an area of about , the basin is almost totally in Canada (spanning parts of the Prairies, cen ...
*
Tourism in Saskatchewan There are numerous heritages and cultural attractions in the province of Saskatchewan. Museums, dinosaur digs, aboriginal cultural and heritage sites, art galleries, professional sport venues, spas, handcraft, antique and tea shops, agricultural t ...
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Saskatchewan
Meadow Lake No. 588, Saskatchewan
Loon Lake No. 561, Saskatchewan
Tributaries of Hudson Bay