Nickle Lake | |
---|---|
Location | RM of Weyburn No. 67, Saskatchewan |
Coordinates | 49°35′00″N 103°46′40″W / 49.5832°N 103.7779°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Souris River |
Primary outflows | Souris River |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. length | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
Surface area | 421.6 ha (1,042 acres) |
Max. depth | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Shore length1 | 32.6 km (20.3 mi) |
Surface elevation | 471 m (1,545 ft) |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Nickle Lake[1] is a man-made reservoir in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was created with the construction of a dam across the Souris River in the 1950s to supply water to the city of Weyburn. In the 1980s, the dam—christened Albert Douglas Dam—was expanded thereby increasing the size of the lake.
The two main inflows for Nickle Lake are the Souris River and Rinfret Brook, which enter the lake at the north end. The Souris River exits the south end at Albert Douglas Dam. On the eastern shore is Nickle Lake Regional Park, which is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south-east of Weyburn.[2] There are no communities along the lake's shore and access is from Highway 39.[3][4][5]
The Albert Douglas Dam (49°33′52″N 103°45′06″W / 49.5645°N 103.7517°W) was constructed across the Souris River and completed on 1 August 1984. It was built to ensure a stable and reliable source of water for Weyburn as the city grew and to expand Nickle Lake for recreational purposes.[6] It was named after Albert Douglas, who was the first person born in Briercrest, Saskatchewan, a local farmer, and a Member of Parliament for the Assiniboia riding from 1969 to 1971.[7]