Makwa River is a river in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, 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 t ...
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, spruces, ...
. ''Makwa'' is
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
for ''
Loon
Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...
''. The upper reaches of the Makwa River's
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
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.
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, a ...
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 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
*
Hudson Bay drainage basin
*
Tourism in Saskatchewan
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Saskatchewan
Meadow Lake No. 588, Saskatchewan
Loon Lake No. 561, Saskatchewan
Tributaries of Hudson Bay