Shoal Lake () is a lake that straddles the boundary between

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada, northwest of the

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

. Depending on the water level of Lake of the Woods, Shoal Lake runs both a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...

and

distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''tributary'', a stream that flows another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurc ...

of Lake of the Woods and, for many practical purposes, is part of that lake. There are two

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

peoples, both

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

, who lay claim to much of Shoal Lake:

Iskatewizaagegan 39 Independent First Nation Iskatewizaagegan #39 Independent First Nation (IIFN #39), also known as Shoal Lake #39 (), is an Ojibwa/Anishinaabe First Nation, that is part of the Bimose Tribal Council, and subsequently part of Grand Council Treaty 3. It is located along the ...

(Shoal Lake First Nation #39) and

Shoal Lake 40 First Nation Shoal Lake 40 First Nation () is an Ojibwe, Ojibway or Ontario First Nations in Canada, First Nation Indian reserve, reserve located in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Eastman Region of Manitoba and the Kenora District, Ontario, Kenora District of ...

Overview

Shoal Lake is in the Eastman Region of Manitoba and the Kenora District of Ontario, northwest of

. It spans approximately from north to south and from east to west.

Smallmouth bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

, and

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

are its primary species of fish. At one time, it was a

commercial fishery Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often p ...

for walleye, but this was closed due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

. There are a number of private cabins in this area, and several commercial fishing lodges and resorts which offer housekeeping cabins and American-plan packages for tourists. The lake has a history of

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

and as gold prices rise so does the pressure to explore mining of the lake again. This pressure is being fought by local cottagers and the City of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, which has used the lake as its main source of safe drinking water for almost 100 years. Shoal Lake falls under special and specific developmental guidelines in order to protect its water quality and unique wildlife.

Manitoba

In the Manitoba portion, Shoal Lake is a large isolated lake in the southeastern corner of the province.

peoples, who are in the Eastman Region of Manitoba and the Kenora District of Ontario, is one of the

that lays claim to the lake. Shoal Lake is also home to Manitoba Pioneer Camp.

Winnipeg's drinking water

The City of

has relied on the lake as its source for safe

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

since 1919, supplied via the

Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct The Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct (GWWDA) is an Aqueduct (water supply), aqueduct that supplies the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, with water from Shoal Lake (Kenora District, Ontario), Shoal Lake, Kenora District, Ontario. Winnipeg has r ...

. Before it is treated, water from Shoal Lake is stored in

Deacon Reservoir A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

, on the east side of the

Winnipeg floodway The Red River Floodway () is an artificial flood control waterway in Western Canada. It is a long channel which, during flood periods, takes part of the Red River's flow around the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba to the east and discharges it back ...

, a few kilometres south of Highway 15. Access by maintenance staff to the Aqueduct has been provided by the

Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway The Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway is a industrial railway from Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of th ...

, operated by the City, since 1916. The Railway formerly provided

passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

and

freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...

rail services to the public, from Winnipeg to the rail station at the Shoal Lake aqueduct intake.

Greater Winnipeg Water District

The Greater Winnipeg Water District (GWWD) was established in 1913 as a collaboration between the City of Winnipeg and its neighbouring municipalities, who decided to invest CA$13.5 million to access Shoal Lake. Winnipeg Mayor Thomas R. Deacon spearheaded making Shoal Lake the city's water source, a project he had supported long before becoming mayor in 1913. In January 1913, a series of meetings was held between Winnipeg and the municipalities, who reached an agreement on draft legislation to form a water district. On February 15 that year, ''An Act to incorporate the ‘Greater Winnipeg Water District,’'' was passed by the

Manitoba Legislature The Manitoba Legislature is the legislature of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor of Manitoba, lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada) and the unicameral assemb ...

. The areas included in the district were the City of Winnipeg, City of St. Boniface, Town of Transcona, and Rural Municipality of St. Vital, as well as a part of the

Rural Municipality of Fort Garry Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in what is now central Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fort Garry ...

, the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia, and the

Rural Municipality of Kildonan In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically describ ...

. The GWWD was eventually succeeded by the City of Winnipeg Water and Waste Department.

References

{{reflist Lake of the Woods Lakes of Kenora District Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Lakes of Manitoba Bodies of water of Eastman Region, Manitoba Winnipeg

Overview

Manitoba

Winnipeg's drinking water

Greater Winnipeg Water District

See also

References