Cypress Lake is an
interbasin transfer
Interbasin transfer or transbasin diversion are (often hyphenated) terms used to describe man-made conveyance schemes which move water from one river basin where it is available, to another basin where water is less available or could be utilized ...
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
in the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
on the southern slopes of the
Cypress Hills in the
Rural Municipality of Reno No. 51. The reservoir was created by the damming of the east and west sides of a much smaller Cypress Lake in the late 1930s. There is a
provincial recreation site on the southern shore and a
wildlife refuge
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...
on Heglund Island in the lake. Access to the lake is from Township Road 60 off of
Highway 21.
Cypress Lake is the source of the
Frenchman River and, being an interbasin reservoir, it supplies water to both the Frenchman River and
Battle Creek
Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...
watersheds. Frenchman River begins at Dam One on the eastern end of the lake while an outlet canal from Dam Two on the western end supplies water to Battle Creek.
Irrigation project
The building of the two dams of Cypress Lake were part of a larger project to bring stability to the water levels of Battle Creek as during the summer months, the creek would often run dry. In 1936, near the headwaters of Battle Creek in the Cypress Hills, a dam was built along Adams Creek — a tributary of Battle Creek — that created Adams Lake (). During the dry months, water could be released from Adams Lake to help prevent Battle Creek from dying up, which allowed for
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
throughout the growing season. With plans originally conceived in 1908, Cypress Lake was turned into a reservoir in the late 1930s.
In 1937, contracts were handed out to several different companies to build various parts of the reservoir project at Cypress Lake, such as the building of Dam One at the east end of the lake, Dam Two at the west end, supply canals, outlet canals, the concrete structure, and the gravel facing for the earthen dams. Water for Cypress lake is supplied by diverting water from Belanger, Battle, and Sucker Creeks. Like Adams Lake, water from Cypress Lake is stored and then released during the dry season.
Cypress Lake Recreation Site
Cypress Lake Recreation Site () is a
provincial recreation site on the southern shore of Cypress Lake. It is a small, free campground with lake access and a boat launch.
Heglund Island Wildlife Refuge
Heglund Island Wildlife Refuge () is a
Saskatchewan wildlife refuge on Heglund Island in Cypress Lake.
Fish species
Fish commonly found in Cypress Lake include
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
See also
*
List of lakes of Saskatchewan
This is a list of lakes of Saskatchewan, a province of Canada. The largest and most notable lakes are listed at the start, followed by an alphabetical listing of other lakes of the province.
Larger lake statistics
"The total area of a lake ...
*
List of protected areas of Saskatchewan
This is a list of protected areas of Saskatchewan.
National parks
Provincial parks
The federal government transferred control of natural resources to the western provinces in 1930 with the Natural Resources Acts. At that time, t ...
*
Tourism in Saskatchewan
There are numerous heritages and cultural attractions in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Museums, dinosaur digs, aboriginal cultural and heritage sites, art galleries, professional sport venues, spas, handcraft, antique and tea shops, ...
References
{{Authority control
Lakes of Saskatchewan
Reno No. 51, Saskatchewan
Dams in Saskatchewan
Interbasin transfer