science

Lake Diefenbaker

Lake Diefenbaker is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lake Diefenbaker rather than just read about it. In short: Lake Diefenbaker is a reservoir and bifurcation lake in the southern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was formed by the construction of the Gardiner Dam and the Qu'Appelle River Dam across the South Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle Rivers respectively.

Key takeaways

Lake Diefenbaker belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lake Diefenbaker to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lake Diefenbaker from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lake Diefenbaker is a reservoir and bifurcation lake in the southern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was formed by the construction of the 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. Lake Diefenbaker is the largest body of water in southern Saskatchewan, although Last Mountain Lake is the largest naturally occurring one. The lake was named after John G. Diefenbaker, a former Prime Minister of Canada. Lake Diefenbaker provides water for domestic irrigation, drinking, and industrial uses. An extensive aqueduct (canal) system was built from the Gardiner Dam called the South Saskatchewan River Project. From the east-side of Gardiner Dam, the aqueduct system heads in a generally north-easterly direction ending at Dellwood Reservoir north-east of Little Manitou Lake in the RM of Usborne No. 310. Reservoirs along the course of the canal include Broderick Reservoir, Brightwater Reservoir, Indi Lake, Blackstrap Lake, Bradwell Reservoir, and Zelma Reservoir. Along the lake's shores, there are several parks, protected areas, and communities.

Description

Lake Diefenbaker was created with the construction of the Gardiner Dam along the South Saskatchewan River and the Qu'Appelle Dam along the Qu'Appelle River. The lake filled the South Saskatchewan River Valley with the two dams hemming it in. The South Saskatchewan River is the primary inflow and it enters at the west end. Most of the length of the lake runs east–west following the valley. At the lake's east end, near Elbow, it branches off into two arms — the northward Thomson Arm and the southward Gordon McKenzie Arm. Gardiner Dam is at the end of the Thomson Arm and the Qu'Appelle Dam is at the end of the Gordon McKenzie Arm. The outward flow of the two rivers is now regulated with a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan diverted into the Qu'Appelle. Prior to the dams' construction, high water levels in the South Saskatchewan would frequently cause dangerous ice conditions downstream in Saskatoon while the Qu'Appelle would frequently dry up in the summer months. Lake Diefenbaker is 225 kilometres (140 mi) long with approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) of shoreline. It has a maximum depth of 66 metres (217 ft), while the water levels regularly fluctuate 3–9 metres (9–27 feet) each year.

Communities and access

There are many communities found around the lake with several provincial highways providing access. Two of the highways, 4 and 42, cross the lake. The Riverhurst Ferry, which is part of Highway 42 and a cable ferry, crosses Lake Diefenbaker connecting Riverhurst on the south bank to Lucky Lake on the north bank. Highway 4 crosses via a causeway and a bridge at the western end of the lake. Other highways include 19, 44 (which crosses the Gardiner Dam), and 628. Communities found at the lake include Elbow, Mistusinne, Hitchcock Bay, Cutbank, Coteau Beach, Riverhurst, and Beaver Flat.

Ecology

Lake Diefenbaker is home to 26 native and stocked fish species. These include burbot, walleye, northern pike, lake whitefish, lake trout, sauger, goldeye, cisco, yellow perch, rainbow trout, lake sturgeon, longnose sucker, white sucker, sauger, burbot, mooneye, and shorthead redhorse Both the current world-record rainbow trout and world-record burbot were caught in the lake. The lake itself along with Battle Creek are the only two bodies of water in Saskatchewan that support a reproducing population of rainbow trout. The lake's sandy beaches provide appropriate habitat for the nationally endangered piping plover. The long stretches of open water and poorly consolidated shore materials makes the shores vulnerable to erosion. Between 1968 and 1992 bank recession rates have commonly ranged up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) a year with higher rates in exposed areas.

Parks and recreation

There are several parks and recreational amenities at Lake Diefenbaker. Some of the activities and facilities include fishing, swimming, boating, picnicking, hiking, and camping.

Danielson Provincial Park is at the northern end of Thomson Arm. It encompasses Gardiner Dam and has a campground, beach, boat launch, and picnic area. Douglas Provincial Park is at the southern end of the Gordon McKenzie Arm. It encompasses the Qu'Appelle River Dam and has a campground, picnic area, access to the lake, and sand dunes. Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park is at the western end of the lake. It has the historic Goodwin House, a campground, picnic area, beach, and a boat launch. Palliser Regional Park is about 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Riverhurst. The park has a campground, golf course, and a marina. Cabri Regional Park is on the southern shore and has a campground, beach access, a marina, boat launch, picnic area, and hiking trails. Prairie Lake Regional Park has a campground, marina, boat launch, playground, picnic area, and a beach. Elbow Harbour Recreation Site is at the town of Elbow. It has a marina with a boat launch, mooring, and fuel.

Important Bird Areas There are two Important Bird Areas (IBA) of Canada on Lake Diefenbaker, with one at each end. Galloway and Miry Bay (SK006) is located at the western end of the lake about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Cabri. The IBA site includes the shoreline and spans the width of the lake covering an area of 59.48 km2 (22.97 sq mi). Miry Bay is located on the western shore and Galloway is on the eastern shore about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the north. Geese found in Miry and Galloway Bays include the greater white-fronted, snow, and Ross's. Sandhill cranes are also found at the site. East Lake Diefenbaker (SK055) is located at the eastern end of the lake. It totals 361.69 km2 (139.65 sq mi) and encompasses most of both the Gordon McKenzie and Thomson Arms of the lake. This IBA is designated as critical piping plover habitat.

See also List of lakes of Saskatchewan List of dams and reservoirs in Canada List of generating stations in Saskatchewan

References

External links Media related to Lake Diefenbaker at Wikimedia Commons

Lake Diefenbaker Tourism Inc. Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lake Diefenbaker

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lake Diefenbaker claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lake Diefenbaker before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lake Diefenbaker ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lake Diefenbaker

In research: Lake Diefenbaker appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lake Diefenbaker in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lake Diefenbaker is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bifurcation lakes, Important Bird Areas of Saskatchewan, Lakes of Saskatchewan, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lake Diefenbaker outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lake Diefenbaker in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lake Diefenbaker means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lake Diefenbaker out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lake Diefenbaker in simple terms?

Why does Lake Diefenbaker matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lake Diefenbaker?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lake Diefenbaker.