Gardiner Dam

Gardiner Dam

Spillway gates of Gardiner Dam
Official name Gardiner Dam
Location Coteau No. 255, Saskatchewan, Canada
Loreburn No. 254, Saskatchewan, Canada
Coordinates 51°16′12″N 106°52′15″W / 51.27000°N 106.87083°W / 51.27000; -106.87083Coordinates: 51°16′12″N 106°52′15″W / 51.27000°N 106.87083°W / 51.27000; -106.87083
Opening date June 21, 1967
Owner(s) Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
Operator(s) Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Embankment dam
Height 64 m (210 ft)
Length 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Spillway type Gated overflow
Spillway capacity 7,500 m3/s (264,860 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates Lake Diefenbaker
Total capacity 9.4 km3 (7,620,700 acre·ft)
Catchment area 126,000 km2 (49,000 sq mi)
Max. length 115 km (71 mi)
Power station
Turbines 3x 62 MW at Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station
Installed capacity 186 MW
Annual generation 1000 GWh

The Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan is the third largest embankment dam in Canada and one of the largest embankment dams in the world. Construction on Gardiner Dam and the smaller Qu'Appelle River Dam was started in 1959 and completed in 1967, creating Lake Diefenbaker upstream and diverting a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan's flow into the Qu'Appelle River. The dam rises 64 metres (209 feet) in height, is almost 5 km (3.1 mi) long and has a width of 1.5 km (0.93 mi) at its base with a volume of 65,000,000 cubic meters. The dam is owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.[1]

NASA satellite image of Lake Diefenbaker showing the Qu'Appelle River Dam at the southeast end and the Gardiner Dam at the northeast end

Danielson Provincial Park has property on both sides of the dam. On the northeast end is the RV park and on the southwest end is a beach, restaurant and guided tours of the Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station. The park was named after Gustaf Herman Danielson (former Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLA).

An integrated power generating plant, SaskPower's Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station, produces a net 186 MW of electricity from three 62 MW generators. Highway 44 crosses the river atop the dam.

The dam is named for a former Premier of Saskatchewan and longtime federal cabinet minister, James G. Gardiner.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "South Saskatchewan River Project Fact Sheet" (PDF). Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. October 31, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
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