Qu'Appelle River Dam
Encyclopedia
The Qu'appelle River Dam is the smaller of two embankment dam
s: which created Lake Diefenbaker
in Saskatchewan
, Canada
. The larger dam is Gardiner Dam
, the biggest embankment dam
in Canada
and one of the biggest in the world. Construction of both dam
s began in the 1959 and was completed in 1967. The dam keeps the flow of water in the Qu'Appelle River
relatively constant, as the Qu'Appelle river used to dry up in many places every summer when the snow that fills in the South Saskatchewan River
from the Rocky Mountains
was done melting. This along with Buffalo Pound Dam at Buffalo Pound Lake
: which supplies water
to Regina
, Moose Jaw and the Kalium Chemicals Potash
Mine
at Belle Plaine
keeps the lake from fluctuating to much.
The Canadian Pacific Railway
crosses the river atop of the dam.
The dam is 3100 metres long and 27 metres high.
Douglas Provincial Park (named after former premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas
) extends from the dam to Mistusinne
.
Highway 19
crosses the Qu'Appelle Valley about 1 km southeast of the dam, and provides access to a vantage point
of the dam Lake Diefenbaker and the Qu'Appelle Valley.
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
s: which created Lake Diefenbaker
Lake Diefenbaker
Lake Diefenbaker is a reservoir in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. It was formed by the construction of Gardiner Dam and the Qu'Appelle River Dam across the South Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle Rivers respectively. Construction began in 1959 and the lake was filled in 1967. The lake is long with...
in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The larger dam is Gardiner Dam
Gardiner Dam
The Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan is the largest embankment dam in Canada and one of the largest embankment dams in the world...
, the biggest embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and one of the biggest in the world. Construction of both dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s began in the 1959 and was completed in 1967. The dam keeps the flow of water in the Qu'Appelle River
Qu'Appelle River
The Qu'Appelle River is a Canadian river that flows 430 km east from Lake Diefenbaker in southwestern Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near the village of St. Lazare....
relatively constant, as the Qu'Appelle river used to dry up in many places every summer when the snow that fills in the South Saskatchewan River
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan....
from the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
was done melting. This along with Buffalo Pound Dam at Buffalo Pound Lake
Buffalo Pound Lake
Buffalo Pound Lake is a eutrophic prairie lake in Saskatchewan, Canada, formed from glaciation about 10,000 years ago, on the Qu'Appelle River approximately 28 km north of Moose Jaw, 11 km east of Tuxford and 3 km north of Sun Valley...
: which supplies water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
to Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Moose Jaw and the Kalium Chemicals Potash
Potash
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
Mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
at Belle Plaine
Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan
-See also:*Highway 642*Highway 1*Qu'Appelle River Dam*Saskferco-External links:*********...
keeps the lake from fluctuating to much.
The Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
crosses the river atop of the dam.
The dam is 3100 metres long and 27 metres high.
Douglas Provincial Park (named after former premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
) extends from the dam to Mistusinne
Mistusinne, Saskatchewan
Mistusinne is a resort town in Saskatchewan. The town's name is derived from the Plains Cree word mistasiniy which refers to a massive stone that resembled a sleeping bison that once rested in the Qu'Appelle Valley before Lake Diefenbaker was built. Douglas Provincial Park extends from the...
.
Highway 19
Saskatchewan Highway 19
Highway 19 is a highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan connecting Highway 15 northern extremity near Hawarden to Highway 18 at the southern extremity near Mankota....
crosses the Qu'Appelle Valley about 1 km southeast of the dam, and provides access to a vantage point
Vantage point
Vantage point may refer to:* Vantage Point , a 2008 thriller film* Vantage Point , a 2008 rock album by dEUS* The Vantage Point, a magazine* The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963-1969, the memoirs of Lyndon B...
of the dam Lake Diefenbaker and the Qu'Appelle Valley.