The Qu'Appelle River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba that flows east from Lake Diefenbaker in south-western Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near the village of St. Lazare. It is in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion.

With the construction of the Qu'Appelle River Dam and the Gardiner Dam upstream, water flow was significantly increased and regulated. Most of the Qu'Appelle's present flow is actually water diverted from the South Saskatchewan River.

Upper and lower watersheds

According to the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency, the Qu'Appelle Valley is made up of two watersheds with the dividing point being Craven Dam on the east side of Craven.

Lower Qu'Appelle Watershed

The Lower Qu'Appelle Valley is in the south-eastern part of Saskatchewan and covers an area of . The Lower Qu'Appelle Watershed begins at the Craven Dam east of the village of Craven and extends to the Manitoba border. In the Lower Qu'Appelle Valley, the river flows through six major lakes. From west to east are the Pasqua, Echo, Mission, Katepwa, Crooked, and Round Lakes. The four sub-basins total about and the Moose Jaw River Watershed adds a further . The total combined drainage basin for the Upper Qu'Appelle Watershed is .

The four sub-basins include the Lanigan-Manitou Sub-basin, Wascana Creek Sub-basin, Last Mountain Lake Sub-basin, and the Upper Qu'Appelle Sub-basin. The Upper Qu'Appelle Sub-basin includes all of the remaining land not included in the other basins all the way up to Qu'Appelle River Dam.

The Upper Qu'Appelle River is fed by several rivers and creeks which include Ridge Creek, Iskwao Creek, High Hill Creek, Deer Run Creek, Wascana Creek, Boggy, and Flying Creeks, Last Mountain Creek, and Moose Jaw River. There are two major lakes along the course of the river in the Upper Qu'Appelle Sub-basin: Buffalo Pound Lake and Eyebrow Lake. Another major lake, Last Mountain Lake, flows into the Upper Qu'Appelle River through Last Mountain Creek at Craven.

Description

The river flows into several lakes in south-eastern Saskatchewan, including:

  • Eyebrow Lake, Buffalo Pound Lake to the north of Moose Jaw, which supplies water to Moose Jaw, Regina, and the Mosaic Potash Mine at Belle Plaine;
  • The Fishing Lakes (Pasqua, Echo, Mission, and Katepwa lakes) to the north-east of Regina; and,
  • farther downstream, to the north of Grenfell and Broadview: Crooked Lake and Round Lake.

Assorted tributary coulees drain into the Qu'Appelle Valley at various junctures along its course, including Echo Creek at Fort Qu'Appelle, Moose Jaw River, Wascana Creek, Loon Creek, Jumping Deer Creek, Pheasant Creek, Kaposvar Creek, and Last Mountain Creek.

93% of the land in the Qu'Appelle Rivershed is used for agriculture purposes.

Last Mountain Lake, the largest natural lake in southern Saskatchewan (Lake Diefenbaker is larger but is a man-made reservoir), drains into the Qu'Appelle near the town of Craven, through Last Mountain Creek.

History

left|thumb|[[Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School on Mission Lake, 1921]]

In 1787, the North West Company established a fur trading post at Fort Espérance on the lower river. After it was abandoned in 1819, the Hudson's Bay Company established a post at Fort Qu'Appelle in 1852 immediately adjacent to the site of what became the town of the same name.

The Qu'Appelle River and Valley derive their name from a Cree legend of a spirit that travels up and down it. The aboriginal people told the North West Company trader Daniel Harmon in 1804 that they often heard the voice of a human calling, "", meaning "What is calling?" ("" in French). They would respond, and the call would echo back (there is a strong echo phenomenon at Lebret). The name of the river in the Cree language is .

Pauline Johnson, a half-Mohawk poet, learned of the legend and elaborated upon it with Victorian sentiment. In her version, a young Cree swain heard his name while crossing one of the lakes and replied, "Who calls?" Only his echo could be heard (hence Echo Lake), and he realized it had been his bride-to-be calling out his name at the instant of her death.

Communities

right|180px|thumb|[[B-Say-Tah on Echo Lake in the Qu'Appelle Valley]]

While there are no large population centres along the course of the river, only small towns, Indian reserves, villages, and resort villages, within the river's watershed is the province's second largest city and capital, Regina. St. Lazare is the only community on the river in Manitoba and it sits at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle Rivers.

Reserve lands

The Qu'Appelle Valley is in Treaty 4 territory and is home to the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, and Nakota peoples who have inhabited the last 11,000 years. However, due to acts such as the Indian Act of 1876, Indigenous peoples were forced to live on reserves. The Indian reserves located within the Qu'Appelle Valley include Piapot, Pasqua, Muscowpetung, Standing Buffalo, Cowessess, Kahkewistahaw, Sakimay, and Ochapowace. The first town within the valley is Lumsden with a total population of 1,824. This town is of historical significance as it acted as a confluence between major trails that were positioned across the North-West Territories and as it was the place of signing for Treaty 4. This village is home to the Country Thunder Music Festival—previously known as the Craven Country Jamboree. Although the population of Craven year-round is 214,

Buffalo Pound Lake

The residential areas of Buffalo Pound Lake consist of multiple communities made up of both seasonal and year-round houses and cabins. Resort villages consist of North Grove, Sun Valley, and South Lake. These communities consist of both resort villages and hamlets and are spread out among the four lakes. East of Crooked Lake is Round Lake. The residential areas of Round Lake consist of two resort villages: Birds Point and West End. The temperate grassland ecosystem is one of the world's most endangered ecosystems as it is often converted into farmland or developed for human expansion. Grasslands are dominated mostly by grass species and various herbs. Few tree types grow in grasslands and if they do they are stunted due to the variability of moisture and temperature.

Flora

Forests of trembling aspen and green ash grow on the slopes of the Qu'Appelle Valley while grasslands grow on the south facing slope of the valley. There are rich wetlands and riparian vegetation, as well as hayfields and cultivated land on the valley floor. Bur oak mainly take up the eastern section of the valley appearing on the southern facing slopes.

Fauna

Aquatic species

There are 30 small- and large-bodied fish species that live in the water system in the Qu'Appelle Valley and make up 45% of the fish biodiversity in Saskatchewan. The bigmouth buffalo, a fish species restricted only to the Qu'Appelle River watershed, is under federal protection as it is at risk of becoming extinct due to habitat loss. The Water Security Agency speculates that dams and structures that control water have caused the degradation of spawning habitats for bigmouth buffalo due to the alteration of the natural flow of lakes and river systems. The Water Security Agency states that the highest threat to the bigmouth buffalo population is demand of water used for agricultural, commercial, and domestic purposes. The brown bullhead, channel catfish, chestnut lamprey, and rock bass, are some other uncommon fish that are found in the valley.

Air and atmospheric conditions

Climatic characteristics that are common to the grasslands ecosystems are: high evaporation rates, droughts, low precipitation, and high summer temperatures. This moist-mixed grassland biome has a sub-humid continental climate. As such, it is generally dry, sunny, and has extreme temperatures in summer and winter. The mean annual precipitation is . Between 1981 and 2010, the mean temperature for January was and the mean temperature for July was .

Soil and terrain

The soil surface texture varies from loamy sand to loam and is low to moderately sensitive to compaction. The soil is neutral to slightly alkaline, and it has a texture that is medium to moderately fine. With only 2% increase from runoff, water scarcity could be a problem in the near future. This is a result of eutrophication and the high mineral content of the groundwater. According to the Water Security Agency and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, algae blooms occur during calm, hot weather in lakes with shallow, slow moving, or still water that have acquired high levels of nutrients that promote the blooms. The nutrients come from: crop and livestock production, surface runoff containing fertilizers, pesticides, and manure, waste from waterfront properties, and waste from upstream communities.

Saskwater-Buffalo Pound Lake regional non-potable water supply system

Located northeast of Moose Jaw, Buffalo Pound Lake is the first major lake along the path of the Qu'Appelle river after being released from the Qu'Appelle River Dam at Lake Diefenbaker. At levels of full supply, Buffalo Pound Lake holds of water that is used for recreation, industrial operations and to supply water to roughly one quarter of the province. This non-potable water supply system is intended to service the needs of multiple industrial customers and meet the ever-growing demands of the Belle Plaine area, particularly with respect to potash mining operations. The proposed project consists of three main parts: an intake and pumping station, a pipeline to carry water to an area south of Kronau, Saskatchewan, and a booster station along the route of the pipeline. A number of potential environmental impacts have been identified. Firstly, the proposed water pipeline would cause ground disturbance and would cross over two major tributaries of the Qu'Appelle River: the Moose Jaw River and Wascana Creek. Included in the Environmental Impact Statement was the acknowledgement that Buffalo Pound contains at least two species of concern: bigmouth buffalo and the chestnut lamprey. Water in the river system was necessary to support human life as well as fisheries, livestock, and irrigation.

In May 1941, the PFRA requested the construction of a dam at the eastern end of Pasqua Lake — which would cause persistent floods in the Maskopetung and Pasqua reserves — and would require approval from the Ministry of Indian Affairs. Some living Indigenous elders from the Pasqua First Nation recall the days when they would pack up and head to what is now Regina's exhibition grounds to sell roots, berries, herbs and crafts. The berries that were picked in the Qu'Appelle Valley included chokecherries, saskatoon berries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and others. The valley is also home to the Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery at Echo Lake that produces 20 million walleye a year to be distributed around the province.

Trapping

People continue to trap rabbit, beaver, coyote, mink, muskrat, lynx, and weasel. Echo Lake and the Calling Lakes chain are especially popular and attract many travellers from the city of Regina. Activities occur year-round in the valley despite the cold winters. In the spring and summer, people enjoy canoeing, kayaking, camping, and swimming, while in the fall hiking becomes quite popular.

<gallery>

File:Lxx1255 Boating, bathing and fishing, Como Park, Lebret.jpg|Como Park, in resort village of Sandy Beach on Katepwa Lake, 1920s

File:Qu'Appelle River, Fort Qu'Appele, circa 1910.jpg|Qu'Appelle River, Fort Qu'Appelle, circa 1910

File:Fort Qu'Appelle, circa 1910.jpg|Fort Qu'Appelle, circa 1910

</gallery>

Industrial land uses

Moose Jaw-Regina industrial corridor

The Moose Jaw-Regina Industrial Corridor holds about 24% of Saskatchewan's population and also 20% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the province. The corridor interlinks the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw, crossing six more municipalities in between—the villages of Pense, Grand Coulee, and Belle Plaine, and the Rural Municipalities of Moose Jaw No. 161, Pense No. 160 and Sherwood No. 159. It is adjacent to the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway and two railways — Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway, providing access to the east and west markets and also to the United States.

Suitability of the corridor for industry use

The corridor is a well-established area for development; many international corporations have located their subsidiaries there for a number of reasons. First, its location on the Trans-Canada Highway, with Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National allows direct access to markets across Canada and to the United States. The close proximity to the Global Transportation Hub, one of Canada's inland ports, feeds material to and from the U.S. border.

  • Salt: K+S Windsor Salt LTD operates a plant at Belle Plaine. This company produces and distributes salt-based products for multiple uses, such as agricultural, industrial, and household uses.

Mining production in the Qu'Appelle Valley corridor and impacts

Saskatchewan's potash production is heavily concentrated in the Qu'Appelle Valley corridor. As of 2013 there are six mines operating and eight mines in the proposal stage in the Qu'Appelle River Watershed. Mines in this area access the water necessary for production from three different source points—the Qu'Appelle River system itself, groundwater, and Lake Diefenbaker (which comes from the Saskatoon South East Water Supply System—SSEWS). Because potash operations are reliant on water sources, this area of Saskatchewan is very attractive for potash production.

Pipelines in the Qu'Appelle Valley

There are two major pipelines that run through the Qu'Appelle Valley Corridor. The first is the TransCanada Mainline system that runs from the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, straight through to Manitoba, Ontario and part of Quebec. This pipeline is owned by TransCanada Pipelines Limited. The second is the Enbridge Mainline System. Owned by Enbridge Pipelines Inc., this system is used to transport petroleum products as well as natural gas liquids from Western Canada across to Manitoba and down into the United States. An initiative in 2015 by the Nature Conservancy of Canada worked to create safe and ecosystem friendly hiking trails that follow the pipeline routes in order to bring awareness to the fragile ecosystem of the Qu'Appelle Valley.

Railway in the Qu'Appelle Valley

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) provides transportation for oil, grain, consumer products, fertilizers, etc. through the Qu'Appelle Valley and all of Saskatchewan. The CPKC Belle Plaine Railway Spur was developed to transport potash from the Belle Plaine mine to market, which was done by adding of rail from the mine site to the Kalium Spur near Belle Plaine. This construction was intensive and caused many million cubic metres (tens of million cubic feet) of excavation in order to build the rail beds into farmland and surrounding valley walls. Excavation occurred in areas of the valley that affected aquifers and the Qu'Appelle River, as well as the addition of a steel tunnel to allow for traffic to travel over the spur. Another addition to the landscape was of culvert to mitigate flooding and manage drainage around the track structure. While the construction of the spur did promise to create greater economic opportunities in terms of marketing potash, there were major environmental impacts on this section of the Qu'Appelle Valley. During construction, there were enormous amounts of dirt and earth moved to facilitate the rail bed. The rail bed was built by KPCL Dirt Movers who estimate that during the construction phase, of earth was excavated and there was of embankment construction. In the project application, the railway points to the fact that half of the corridor is already being used as intensive cropland, which means that the native terrain and ecosystems of that area have already been disturbed. By choosing this route, environmental impacts are arguably limited because they are developing in an area that is not considered sensitive. Both the South and North valley walls were cut into, including cuts over deep on the South wall, and up to deep on the North wall. This metal then accumulates in lake sediment, which will then impact the aquatic food webs within the lake. Peter Leavitt from the University of Regina states that this accumulation of metal toxins has occurred in the eggs of small aquatic invertebrates for 100 years.