Blackstrap Lake
Blackstrap Lake is a man-made reservoir in central Saskatchewan, Canada, south of Saskatoon in the Rural Municipality of Dundurn No. 314. The lake was created as a reservoir in 1967, as part of the Saskatoon South East Water Supply System. Blackstrap Lake has an area of 1,200 ha (3,000 acres) (14.4 km x 0.8-1.2 km at a depth of 5.14 m) and is generally used to support irrigation, and the industrial and municipal water supply.
| Blackstrap Lake | |
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Sunset at Blackstrap Lake | |
Blackstrap Lake Location in Saskatchewan Blackstrap Lake Blackstrap Lake (Canada) | |
| Location | Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 51°47′20″N 106°25′11″W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Earthen aqueduct from Lake Diefenbaker |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Managing agency | Saskatchewan Water Security Agency |
| Max. length | 14.4 km (8.9 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.8–1.2 km (0.50–0.75 mi) |
| Surface area | 1,200 ha (3,000 acres) |
| Average depth | 5.15 m (16.9 ft) |
| Max. depth | 9.39 m (30.8 ft) |
| Water volume | 61.5×106 m3 (49,900 acre⋅ft) |
| Shore length1 | 39.5 km (24.5 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 534.5 m (1,754 ft) |
| Settlements |
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| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
The Blackstrap Coulee, or Valley, is an ancient spillway created by the melting of the Wisconsin glacier. Two formerly small and marshy lakes, Theresa Lake and Blackstrap Lake, were in the area now covered by the reservoir. First Nations peoples used the valley for hunting and shelter. European settlers farmed the flat land of the valley during dry seasons. Some of this flat land forms the present lake bed and is an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada. The Blackstrap Coulee (SK 078) IBA covers an area of 77.18 km (47.96 mi) and includes Blackstrap Lake and neighbouring Indi Lake. Two hundred and thirty-nine different species of birds have been recorded at Blackstrap Coulee. Some of them include the western grebe, Franklin's gull, black tern, tundra swan, bufflehead, stilt sandpiper, red-necked phalarope, and the Forster's tern.
Blackstrap Lake is a major part of Blackstrap Provincial Park. A recreation area was established soon after the completion of the lake, and further developed with a ski hill for the 1971 Canada Winter Games. The provincial park was established in 1986.