The North Saskatchewan River is a
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
-fed river that flows from the
Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central
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 ...
, where it joins with the
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...
to make up the
Saskatchewan River
The Saskatchewan River (Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winn ...
. Its water flows eventually into the Hudson Bay.
The Saskatchewan River system is the largest shared between the
Canadian provinces of
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 Saskatchewan. Its watershed includes most of southern and central Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Course
The North Saskatchewan River has a length of , and a drainage area of . At its end point at
Saskatchewan River Forks
Saskatchewan River Forks refers to the area in Canada where the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan rivers merge to create the Saskatchewan River. It is about east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The province of Saskatchewan maintains the ...
it has a mean discharge of . The yearly discharge at the Alberta–Saskatchewan border is more than .
The river begins above at the toe of the
Saskatchewan Glacier in the
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in ...
, and flows southeast through
Banff National Park alongside the
Icefields Parkway
Highway 93 is a north–south highway in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway south of the Trans-Canada Highway ( Highway 1) and the Icefields Parkway north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It travels through ...
. At the junction of the
David Thompson Highway #redirectAlberta Highway 11
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11 and officially named the David Thompson Highway, is a provincial highway in central Alberta, Canada. It runs for from Highway 93 ...
(Highway 11), it initially turns northeast for before switching to a more direct eastern flow for about . At this point, it turns north where it eventually arrives at
Abraham Lake
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the " Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
Descr ...
.
Bighorn Dam
Bighorn Dam (or ''Bighorn Hydro Plant'') is an embankment dam located in Clearwater County in west-central Alberta, Canada. It was built by Calgary Power in 1972, and led to the creation of Lake Abraham, Alberta's largest reservoir. The dam and ...
constricts the north end of Abraham Lake, where the North Saskatchewan emerges to track eastward to
Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...
. At Rocky Mountain House, the river abruptly turns north again for where it switches east towards
Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...
.
In Edmonton, the river passes through the centre of the city in a northeasterly direction and out towards
Smoky Lake
Smoky Lake is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 28 and Highway 855. It lies between the North Saskatchewan River, Smoky Creek and White Earth Creek, in a mainly agricultural area. ...
at which point it quickly changes to the southeast and then more to the east as it makes its way to the Alberta–Saskatchewan boundary.
From the border, the river flows southeast between
North Battleford
North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...
and
Battleford
Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...
and on in the direction of
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...
. About northwest of Saskatoon, near
Langham, the river veers to the northeast where it passes through the City of
Prince Albert. About downstream of Prince Albert, the North Saskatchewan River joins the
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...
at Saskatchewan River Forks to become the Saskatchewan River. From there, the river flows east to
Tobin Lake
Tobin Lake is a reservoir along the course of the Saskatchewan River in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Tobin Lake was formed by the building of the E.B. Campbell Dam on the Saskatchewan River in 1963. The dam was originally named '' ...
and into
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
, eventually emptying into
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...
.
Geography
The river course can be divided into five distinct sections. The first, the eastern slopes of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
, is the smallest area geographically, although the largest in terms of run-off and contributed water flow. The
glaciers and perpetual snows of the mountain peaks feed the river year-round. Mountains, with little vegetation, experience fast-melting snow cover. The second section of the river comprises the
foothills region. The terrain is hilly and rough, with a deeper and more defined valley. This area is well covered with forest and
muskeg, and run-off into the river is much more constant and stable than in the mountains.
From
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
to the mouth of the Vermilion River, the North Saskatchewan flows through the
plains-parkland divide, with occasional stretches of prairie. The
North Saskatchewan River valley parks system
The North Saskatchewan River valley parks system, also known as the Ribbon of Green or the River Valley Parks, is a continuous collection of urban parks around the North Saskatchewan River valley in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of Alberta, ...
; the largest expanses of urban parkland in Canada.
Cutting across Edmonton and the
Capital Region
A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
.
The river runs in a well-defined valley with deep cuts in the landscape. The fourth section, from the
Vermilion River to Prince Albert is principally
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
with a few small stretches of timber and secondary forest cover. The valley of the river is much wider, and the river itself spreads out across shallow water and flows over many shifting
sand bars. Low-lying, flat areas border the river for much of this section.
The final section of the river, from Prince Albert to the Saskatchewan River Forks, has many
rapids. The valley is more shallow than the previous sections of the river, and the channel is much better defined. There is little prairie and much tree cover in this section.
The water flows on then in the
Saskatchewan River
The Saskatchewan River (Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winn ...
.
Geology
The
Bridge River Ash is in the vicinity of the North Saskatchewan River, which erupted from the
Mount Meager massif
The Mount Meager massif is a group of volcanic peaks in the of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc of western North America, it is located north of Vancouver at the northern end of the P ...
in southwestern
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
about 2350 years ago.
History
The river is shown on a Hudson's Bay Company map from 1760, labeled as the ''Beaver River''.
Its Cree name is kisiskâciwanisîpiy (swift current). From this name is derived the name Saskatchewan, used as well for the South Saskatchewan River and the Saskatchewan River (to which the North Saskatchewan is a major tributary), and the province of that name.
Its Blackfoot name is omaka-ty (big river).
The section of the North Saskatchewan river that falls within the Banff National Park boundaries has been designated a
Canadian Heritage River The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river her ...
in 1989, for its importance in the development of
western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada ...
.
The river demarcates the prairie–parkland divide for much of its course and acted as a natural boundary between plains
Blackfoot and woodland
Cree First Nations people for thousands of years. With the westward expansion of the
fur trade spearheaded by the
North West Company and followed by the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
, the river became an important transportation route for fur trade brigades'
York boats
The York boat was a type of inland boat used by the Hudson's Bay Company to carry furs and trade goods along inland waterways in Rupert's Land, the watershed stretching from Hudson Bay to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It was named af ...
, to which it was especially well suited as it follows an eastern trend toward Hudsons Bay, the entry point for the HBC into Canada. Many fur trade posts were constructed on the river, including
Fort Edmonton
Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now central Alberta, ...
(1795) and
Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...
, the uppermost post reached by canoe navigation. The river's importance continued after the amalgamation of the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
and the North West Company. The
river was plied by a number of steamboats right up to WWI, although for everyday freight the growing web of railway lines in the western prairies eventually replaced them. The river was used commercially for many years - to carry flatboats of settlers goods and construction materials downstream from Edmonton, to float thousands of logs in the annual log drive downstream to Edmonton prior to WWI, as a source of ice blocks for home owners' iceboxes.
The first bridge across the river opened in 1900, the
Low Level Bridge (Edmonton). The
Canadian Northern Railway Bridge (Prince Albert) (1907-9), which also at first carried foot and wheeled traffic, and the Battleford bridge (ca. 1908) followed.
Recreation
![North Saskatchewan River 2020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/North_Saskatchewan_River_2020.jpg)
Edmonton's
North Saskatchewan River valley parks system
The North Saskatchewan River valley parks system, also known as the Ribbon of Green or the River Valley Parks, is a continuous collection of urban parks around the North Saskatchewan River valley in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of Alberta, ...
is the largest system of urban parks in Canada, and covers both sides of the river valley's course through Edmonton. The River Valley Alliance, a non-profit organization composed of seven municipalities which border the North Saskatchewan River, is currently working to create a continuous trail network from the town of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
to the city of
Fort Saskatchewan
Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmo ...
– a total of .
Fish species
Fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
species include:
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
,
sauger
The sauger (''Sander canadensis'') is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae that resembles its close relative, the walleye. The species is a member of the largest vertebrate order, the Perciformes.Jaeger, Matthew. 2004. Montana's ...
,
yellow perch
The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Sam ...
,
northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...
,
goldeye,
mooneye
Hiodontidae, commonly called mooneyes, is a family of ray-finned fish with a single included genus ''Hiodon''. The genus comprise two living species native to North America and three to five extinct species recorded from Paleocene to Eocene age ...
,
lake sturgeon
The lake sturgeon (''Acipenser fulvescens''), also known as the rock sturgeon, is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 25 species of sturgeon. Like other sturgeons, this species is a bottom feeder with evolutionarily basal tr ...
,
mountain whitefish
The mountain whitefish (''Prosopium williamsoni'') is one of the most widely distributed salmonid fish of western North America. It is found from the Mackenzie River drainage in Northwest Territories, Canada south through western Canada and ...
,
burbot
The burbot (''Lota lota'') is the only gadiform (cod-like) freshwater fish. It is also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, and eelpout. The species is closel ...
,
longnose sucker
The longnose sucker (''Catostomus catostomus'') is a species of cypriniform freshwater fish in the family Catostomidae. It is native to North America from the northern United States to the top of the continent. It is also found in Russia in ri ...
,
white sucker
The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii)'' is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is common ...
and
shorthead redhorse
The shorthead redhorse (''Moxostoma macrolepidotum'') is a wide-ranging species in North America. The shorthead redhorse is native to central and eastern North America. However, its range has expanded to include areas like the Hudson estuary and ...
. The upper North Saskatchewan River contains cutthroat trout (although not native), and bull trout
Flooding
Like all rivers, the North Saskatchewan is subject to periodic flooding, beginning with rapid snowmelt in the
mountains or prolonged periods of rain in the
river basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
. With the establishment of permanent communities along the river's course, and the rise of an administrative/government structure,
records
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
exist recording floods in the North Saskatchewan for the past century. The
Bighorn Dam
Bighorn Dam (or ''Bighorn Hydro Plant'') is an embankment dam located in Clearwater County in west-central Alberta, Canada. It was built by Calgary Power in 1972, and led to the creation of Lake Abraham, Alberta's largest reservoir. The dam and ...
, constructed in the early 1970s near
Nordegg, Alberta
Nordegg is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada within Clearwater County. It is located in the North Saskatchewan River valley in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, just east of the intersection of the David Thompson Highway and the Hi ...
, and the Brazeau Dam, constructed in the mid-1960s, have not reduced flooding potential on the North Saskatchewan River (Alberta Environment 1981)
List of notable flood years
Flood of 1899
The river peaked at a stage of with an estimated peak instantaneous discharge of .
Flood of 1915
The 1915 flood of the North Saskatchewan River was one of the most dramatic in the history of Edmonton. On 28 June, the ''
Edmonton Bulletin
The ''Edmonton Bulletin'' was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta, published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Edmonton pioneer Frank Oliver, a future Liberal politician and cabinet minister in the Canadian Government.
Oliver co-f ...
'' reported the river had risen "10 feet in as many hours." A frantic phone call from Rocky Mountain House alerted local authorities to the flood's arrival. The
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
Man ...
had parked a number of train cars on the city's
Low Level Bridge to protect against the "tons upon tons of debris" that had been pushed up against its piers, including a house swept away by the current.
[''The Edmonton Bulletin'', 29 June 1915.] Thousands of Edmonton residents watched the flood destroy
lumber mill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
s along the city's river valley.
The river peaked at a stage of , a rise of above low flow, with an estimated peak instantaneous discharge of . However, based on high water marks and 1D modelling, the actual value may have been closer to .
Flood of 1986
The river peaked at a stage of with a peak instantaneous discharge of .
2013 Alberta Flooding
Along with many other rivers in central and southern Alberta during late June, the North Saskatchewan saw significantly higher water levels and flow rates. The river peaked at a stage of with a peak instantaneous discharge of on June 23 in Edmonton. This is significantly higher than the Bow River's peak height at and peak discharge of on June 21, that caused widespread flooding in
Calgary. However, due to the expansive North Saskatchewan River Valley and natural sanctuary/parkland that surrounds it, the City of Edmonton had only minor, isolated flooding, with virtually no major property damage as a result.
Commercial navigation
The North Saskatchewan River has always been a major
trade route
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...
from
Hudson Bay and central Canada across the Canadian Prairies to the Canadian Rockies. During the fur trade era,
birch bark
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus ''Betula''.
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, craftin ...
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the ter ...
s and
York boat
The York boat was a type of inland boat used by the Hudson's Bay Company to carry furs and trade goods along inland waterways in Rupert's Land, the watershed stretching from Hudson Bay to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It was named af ...
s travelled up and down the Saskatchewan delivering trade goods and amassing furs for transportation to Europe.
The North Saskatchewan also witnessed a lively, although short-lived, era of
steamboat shipping during the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) purchased a number of
steamboats from companies operating on the
Red River and trading at
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
/
Fort Garry
Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what is now downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1822 on or near the site of the North West Company' ...
. The HBC desired to avoid paying the
labour costs
A wage is payment made by an employer to an employee for work done in a specific period of time. Some examples of wage payments include compensatory payments such as '' minimum wage'', ''prevailing wage'', and ''yearly bonuses,'' and remune ...
of
fur trade brigades, and hoped steamboat shipping would provide a suitable alternative. Several HBC steamboats navigated the river intermittently for many years, although fluctuating water levels and natural barriers (rapids and
sandbar
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. ...
s) hampered efficient operation.
With the arrival of the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada ...
, steamboat shipping on the North Saskatchewan tapered off, but steamboats operated in the Edmonton area until the economic crash of 1912-14.
Dams and hydroelectric development
A number of
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 ...
s have been planned and constructed on the North Saskatchewan River and its
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
. No singular purpose has dominated dam planning in the basin, indeed,
hydroelectric development,
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
, and
water diversion
Interbasin transfer or transbasin diversion are (often hyphenated) terms used to describe man-made conveyance schemes which move water from one river basin where it is available, to another basin where water is less available or could be utilized ...
schemes have all underpinned proposals to construct dams on the river.
Planned dams
The first
hydroelectric development on the North Saskatchewan was planned in 1910 near the Town of
Drayton Valley
Drayton Valley is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail), approximately southwest of Edmonton. It is surrounded by Brazeau County, known for its vast oil fields. The town is located between the North Sas ...
. Funding for the plan came from a British syndicate; design and construction were to be carried out by the Edmonton Hydro-Electric Power Scheme. The development was shelved after the outbreak of World War I.
The
La Colle Falls hydroelectric project east of Prince Albert was a half-built failure. Construction began in the 1910s and was later abandoned. The city remained in debt from financing the project until 1960, and the site still attracts tourists today.
During the 1960s and 1970s, a major dam was planned on the North Saskatchewan near the
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of
Hairy Hill, Alberta, about downstream from Edmonton. This dam was part of a larger interbasin water diversion conceived by the
Alberta Government
The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typica ...
to transfer water from the
Peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
,
Smoky, and
Athabasca
Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca may a ...
rivers to the
Saskatchewan River Basin.
The planned dam had a maximum height of , with a crest length of , which would have created a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
capable of holding over of water. The reservoir would have affected municipal water works in the City of Fort Saskatchewan, was likely to inundate part of the Saddle Lake
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty,
that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band."
In ...
, and would have flooded a number of
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
and
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
fields in the area. The plan was later shelved in light of economic and environmental concerns.
Constructed dams
The
Bighorn Dam
Bighorn Dam (or ''Bighorn Hydro Plant'') is an embankment dam located in Clearwater County in west-central Alberta, Canada. It was built by Calgary Power in 1972, and led to the creation of Lake Abraham, Alberta's largest reservoir. The dam and ...
was constructed near
Nordegg and created
Abraham Lake
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the " Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
Descr ...
, one of the largest
reservoirs
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
in Alberta. The dam was constructed in 1972 by
Calgary Power
TransAlta Corporation (formerly Calgary Power Company, Ltd.) is an electricity power generator and wholesale marketing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a privately owned corporation and its shares are traded publicly. It ...
.
The Bighorn Plant has a generating capacity of 120
megawatts
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wat ...
(MW), and has an available water supply that allows it to be the largest producer of hydroelectric electricity in Alberta, with an average of 408,000
megawatt hour
A kilowatt-hour ( unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bi ...
s (MW⋅h) each year.
[
One of the North Saskatchewan's major tributaries, the Brazeau River, houses the Brazeau Hydroelectric Plant. At 355 MW, the Brazeau Dam is Alberta's largest hydroelectric facility, and was built in 1965 by Calgary Power.] Though having a higher peak generating capacity than the Bighorn Dam, the hydrology
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is call ...
of the Brazeau means that its average annual electricity production is a slightly smaller 397,000 MW⋅h.[
]
Tributaries
[Milholland, Billie. ''North Saskatchewan River Guide: Mountain to Prairie a Living Landscape.'' Edmonton: North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, 2002.]
; Saskatchewan Glacier to Abraham Lake
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the " Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
Descr ...
* Nigel Creek
* Alexandra River
* Norman Creek
* Rampart Creek
* Arctomy's Creek
* Castleguard River
* Howse River
The Howse River is a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
The Howse River is a braided river, with several streams crossing in its flood plain. It is formed when Freshfield, Forbes, David and Lagoon Creek unite a ...
** Glacier River
* Mistaya River
** Peyto Lake
* Owen Creek
* Thompson Creek
* Corona Creek
* Spreading Creek
* Wildhorse Creek
* Loudon Creek
* Siffleur River
** Escarpment River
* Two O'Clock Creek
* Bridge Creek
* Whiterabbit Creek
;Abraham Lake
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the " Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
Descr ...
to Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...
* Canyon Creek
* Cline River
The Cline River is a short river in western Alberta, Canada. It flows from Pinto Lake and joins the North Saskatchewan River at Lake Abraham in west-central Alberta.
Geography
Pinto Lake is located north of Sunset Pass. The lake is fed from the ...
** Pinto Lake
* Whitegoat Creek
* BATUS Creek
* Hoodoo Creek
* Allstones Creek
* Mud Creek
* Tershishner Creek
* Crooked Creek
* Kidd Creek
* Bighorn River
The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the states of Wyoming and Montana in the western United States. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the bighorn sheep he saw along its ba ...
* Black Canyon Creek
* South Creek
* Dutch Creek
* Jock Creek
* Gap Creek
* Deep Creek
* Shunda Creek
* Jack Fish Creek
* Camp Creek
* Lundine Creek
* Lewis Creek
* Rough Creek
* Ram River
The Ram River is a river rising in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. It flows eastward, taking on the North Ram River, before joining the North Saskatchewan River near the Town of Rocky Mountain House. The name ''Ram Rivulet'' appears on a David Thom ...
** North Ram River
* Cow Creek
** Cow Lake
* Clearwater River
;Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...
to Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
* Chicken Creek
* Little Beaver Creek
* Big Beaver Creek
* No Name Creek
* Baptiste River
* Brazeau River
** Southesk River, Cardinal River, Blackstone River
The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...
, Elk River, Nordegg River
* Sand Creek
* Wolf Creek
* Washout Creek
* Mishow Creek
* Poplar Modeste Creek
* Tomahawk Creek
* Shoal Lakes Creek
* Wabamum Creek
** Wabamum Lake
* Strawberry Creek
* Weed Creek
* Willow Creek
* Cutbank Creek
* Conjuring Creek
** Wizard Lake
* Whitemud Creek
* Blackmud Creek
Blackmud Creek is a Stream, creek in Edmonton that flows into Whitemud Creek. The creek starts at Saunders Lake (Alberta), Saunders Lake East of Nisku, Alberta, Nisku and runs northwest into the City, joining Whitemud Creek in the neighbourhood of ...
* Mill Creek Ravine
Mill Creek Ravine is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and is a part of the River Valley parks and trail system. It contains the last stretch of Mill Creek, before it flows into a culvert for its end run to the North Saskatchewan River. The ra ...
;Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
to Alberta-Saskatchewan Border
* Rat Creek
* Oldman Creek
* Horsehills Creek
* Ross Creek
* Sturgeon River
** Big Lake
* Redwater River
* Beaverhill Creek
* Waskatenau Creek
* Egg Creek
* Smoky Creek
* White Earth Creek
* Redclay Creek
* Cucumber Creek
* Saddlelake Creek
* Lake Eliza Creek
* Siler Creek
* Gideon Lake
* Death River
* Antimose Creek
* Telegraph Creek
* Moosehills Creek
** Mooswa Creek
* Middle Creek
** Borden Lake, Laurier Lake, Ross Lake, Whitney Lake
* Frog Creek
** Alma Creek
* Vermilion River
* Chester Creek
* Two Hills Creek
* Cabin Lake
* Mosquito Creek
* Fulton Creek
;Saskatchewan
* Pipestone Creek
* Oldman Creek
* Monnery River
* Muskeg Creek
* Whitesand Creek
* Englishman River
* Big Gulley Creek
* Birling Creek
* Turtle Lake River
* Jackfish River
* Battle River
* Cooper Creek
* Baljennie Creek
* Eagle Creek
* Pakrowka Creek
* Shepherds Creek
** Turtle Creek
* Cee Pee Creek
* Radouga Creek
* Steep Creek
* Miners Creek
* Sturgeon River
** Shell River
* Spruce River
* Garden River
Photo gallery
Image:Edmonton_Sourdough_Raft_Race.jpg, Boating in Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, with a view of the High Level Bridge across the river
Image:High level Bridge Edmonton Alberta Canada 06-B.jpg, The Edmonton Light Rail Transit
Edmonton Light Rail Transit, commonly referred to as the LRT, is a light rail system in Edmonton, Alberta. Part of the Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), the system has 18 stations on two lines and of track. As of 2018, it is number seven on the ...
(LRT) bridge across the river in central Edmonton
Image:North Saskatchewan River with Peak and Sky -a.jpg, North Saskatchewan River with mountain peaks and the sky
Image:Edmlrtbridge.JPG, Dudley B. Menzies Bridge
The Dudley B. Menzies Bridge is a dedicated LRT bridge crossing the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Named after Edmonton engineer and politician Dudley Blair Menzies, the bridge was the "first concrete segmental box girde ...
(LRT and pedestrian bridge) over North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton
Image:North Saskatchewan River Valley from Highlands Edmonton Alberta Canada 01A.jpg, A view of the North Saskatchewan River Valley from the east end of Edmonton
Image:Frozen_North_Saskatchewan.jpg, The river covered in a sheet of ice in Edmonton
Image:N saskatchewan river.jpg, North Saskatchewan River and Abraham Lake
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the " Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
Descr ...
from space
Image:NSR at dusk.jpg, North Saskatchewan River near Myrnam, Alberta
Myrnam is a village in east central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately east of the capital city, Edmonton, and about east-south-east of the town of Two Hills. Its economic base is mixed farming, cattle farming, and grain farming.
Hi ...
Image:North Battleford from South side of North Saskatchewan River.JPG, View of the City of North Battleford
North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...
across the North Saskatchewan River
See also
* List of crossings of the North Saskatchewan River
This is a list of crossings of the North Saskatchewan River in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta from the river's confluence with the South Saskatchewan River upstream to its source.
Tables
Saskatchewan
Alberta
No ...
* North Saskatchewan River valley parks system
The North Saskatchewan River valley parks system, also known as the Ribbon of Green or the River Valley Parks, is a continuous collection of urban parks around the North Saskatchewan River valley in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of Alberta, ...
* List of longest rivers of Canada
Among the longest rivers of Canada are 47 streams of at least . In the case of some rivers such as the Columbia, the length listed in the table below is solely that of the main stem. In the case of others such as the Mackenzie, it is the combin ...
* 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 ...
* Saskatchewan River fur trade
Saskatchewan River fur trade The Saskatchewan River was one of the two main axes of Canadian expansion west of Lake Winnipeg. The other and more important one was northwest to the Athabasca Country. For background see Canadian canoe routes (ea ...
* Watershed management Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs and projects to sustain and enhance watershed fu ...
Further reading
*
References
External links
North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance - designated Watershed Planning and Advisory Council
{{Authority Control
Canadian Heritage Rivers
Rivers of Alberta
Rivers of Saskatchewan
Rivers of the Canadian Rockies
Tributaries of Hudson Bay