Zelma Reservoir is a reservoir 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 in the
Rural Municipality of Morris No. 312
The Rural Municipality of Morris No. 312 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 11 and Division No. 5.
History
The RM of Morris No. 312 incorporated as a rural ...
. It is about east-southeast of the town of
Colonsay. The reservoir was built in 1967 as part of South Saskatchewan River Project. That project, originating at
Gardiner Dam
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 ...
of
Lake Diefenbaker, involved the building of
aqueducts, canals, and a series of reservoirs to supply water for irrigation, consumption, and industry. Other reservoirs in the system include
Broderick Reservoir
Broderick Reservoir is a reservoir about south-southeast of Outlook in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the Rural Municipality of Rudy No. 284. Broderick Reservoir was built in 1967 as part of South Saskatchewan River Project. That p ...
,
Brightwater Reservoir,
Indi Lake,
Blackstrap Lake,
Bradwell Reservoir
Bradwell Reservoir is a man-made reservoir in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the Rural Municipality of Blucher No. 343. The reservoir was built as part of the South Saskatchewan River Project. That project involved the damming of the ...
, and
Dellwood Reservoir.
The
BHP potash mine at
Jansen gets its water supply from Zelma Reservoir through the Zelma East Non-Potable Water Supply.
There are no communities along the reservoir's shores. Besides Colonsay, other nearby communities include
Zelma and
Young. There is a public boat launch at the north-east corner, near the dam and access is from
Highway 763.
Zelma Dam
Zelma Dam, which was built in 1967, contains the reservoir. The dam is high and the reservoir has a capacity of . The dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the
Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.
Fish species
Fish commonly found in Zelma Reservoir include
northern pike,
yellow perch, and
walleye. In 2019, Zelma Reservoir was
stocked with 200,000 walleye fry.
See also
*
List of lakes of Saskatchewan
*
SaskWater
*
Dams and reservoirs in Saskatchewan
References
{{Authority control
Lakes of Saskatchewan
Morris No. 312, Saskatchewan
Dams in Saskatchewan
Dams completed in 1967