McDonald Lake (Saskatchewan)

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McDonald Lake
Rafferty Reservoir
ISS-61 McDonald Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada.jpg
McDonald Lake as seen from the ISS
McDonald Lake is located in Canada
McDonald Lake
McDonald Lake
Coordinates49°11′38″N 103°14′17″W / 49.194°N 103.238°W / 49.194; -103.238Coordinates: 49°11′38″N 103°14′17″W / 49.194°N 103.238°W / 49.194; -103.238
TypeReservoir
Primary inflowsSouris River, Roughbark River, Jewell River and a 10-kilometre diversion channel connecting Boundary and Rafferty Reservoirs, which allows water to be diverted from Boundary Reservoir into McDonald Lake.
River sourcesSouris River
Primary outflowsSouris River
Catchment area2,448 km2 (945 sq mi)
Managing agencyThe Saskatchewan Water Security Agency
BuiltJuly 1, 1991 (1991-07-01)
Max. length57 km (35 mi)
Max. width1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi)
Surface area48.8 km2 (18.8 sq mi)
Average depth15 metres (49 ft)
Max. depth15 metres (49 ft)
Water volume439,600,000 cubic metres (1.552×1010 cu ft)
Surface elevation556 m (1,824 ft)
References[1]

McDonald Lake, also known as Rafferty Reservoir, is a reservoir in south-east Saskatchewan, Canada.[2] It was created when the Rafferty Dam was built on the Souris River 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 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 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.[3]

Mainprize Regional Park[]

Mainprize Regional Park (49.3691°N, 103.5821°W) is a park in the rural municipality of Cymri No. 36, Saskatchewan, Canada. The regional park is operated by a park authority with offices in Midale, Saskatchewan. The park includes an 18-hole golf course, Pederson Place (a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) 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.[4]

See also: List of golf courses in Saskatchewan

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 dam and reservoir provide flood control along the Souris River, irrigation, and recreation.[5]

The height of the top of the dam is 555 metres above sea level. The maximum height available for flood control is 554 metres. 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 4881 hectares.[6]

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[]

  • Sunset on McDonald Lake in Saskatchewan

  • Estevan P1000957 (578772934).jpg
  • Estevan P1000975 (578822787).jpg

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "McDonald Lake". Mapcarta.
  2. ^ "McDonald Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  3. ^ "Ceremony for the New Waterline at Rafferty Dam".
  4. ^ https://www.mainprizepark.com/
  5. ^ "Rafferty-Grant Devine Project".
  6. ^ "Detailed review of dams and reservoirs coming".

External links[]

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