McDonald Lake, also known as Rafferty Reservoir, is 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 ...

in south-east

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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was created when the Rafferty Dam was built on the

Souris River The Souris River (; french: rivière Souris) or Mouse River (as it is alternatively known in the U.S., a calque of its French name) is a river in central North America. It is about in length and drains about . It rises in the Yellow Grass Mars ...

in 1994. Before the dam was built that flooded the Souris Valley, McDonald Lake was a small lake and marsh on the valley floor adjacent to the Souris River. The reservoir provides water to the

Shand Power Station Shand Power Station is a coal fired station owned by SaskPower in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, near the city of Estevan. Description The Shand Power Station consists of: *one 279 net MW unit (commissioned in 1992) *advanced env ...

and to the city of Estevan. A 10-kilometre long pipeline supplies the power station and a 9.2-km long pipeline, which originates along the Souris River

river bed A stream bed or streambed is the bottom of a stream or river (bathymetry) or the physical confine of the normal water flow ( channel). The lateral confines or channel margins are known as the stream banks or river banks, during all but flood ...

at the bottom of the reservoir, brings water to the Estevan water treatment plant. The water pipeline that brings water to Estevan was completed in 2020 after a three-year project that changed the source of Estevan's drinking water away from Boundary Dam Reservoir.

Mainprize Regional Park

Mainprize Regional Park () is a park in the rural municipality of RM of Cymri No. 36. The regional park is operated by a park authority with offices in Midale. The park includes an 18-hole golf course, Pederson Place (a multi-purpose hall), a beach area on McDonald Lake, water plant, camp groups, and a residential cottage subdivisions. The park is located near the north-west end of the lake, on the eastern shore.

Rafferty Dam

Rafferty Dam is located at the south-eastern corner of the lake, 4.8 km upstream from Estevan. It was built in conjunction with the Grant Devine Dam (formally known as ''Alameda Dam''), which was built further downstream on Moose Mountain Creek, which is a tributary of the Souris River. Both dams are operated by the

Saskatchewan Water Security Agency The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (before 2013, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority) is an arm's length organization responsible for the management of water resources to ensure safe drinking water sources and reliable water supplies for eco ...

. The dam and reservoir provide flood control along the Souris River, irrigation, and recreation. The height of the top of the dam is 555 metres above sea level. The maximum height available for flood control is 554 metres. The normal full supply level is 550.5 and the normal drawdown level is 549.5 metres. The maximum draw down is 547.5 metres above sea level. At full supply, the reservoir covers an area of 4,881 hectares. A 10-kilometre long spillway connects the Boundary Dam Reservoir to McDonald Lake, allowing excess water to flow into McDonald Lake. The flow can also be reversed if necessary.

Gallery

File:McDonald Lake Saskatchewan sunset.jpg, Sunset on McDonald Lake File:Estevan P1000957 (578772934).jpg, McDonald Lake File:Estevan P1000975 (578822787).jpg, McDonald Lake File:Rafferty Dam 04.jpg, The dam's spillway File:Rafferty Dam 03.jpg, The dam's riparin outlet File:Rafferty Dam 01.jpg, The information sign at the look out at Rafferty Dam

References

External links

Park Description
* {{Authority control Lakes of Saskatchewan Dams in Saskatchewan Dams completed in 1994 Cymri No. 36, Saskatchewan Division No. 2, Saskatchewan

Mainprize Regional Park

Rafferty Dam

Gallery

See also

References

External links