Basin Lake (Saskatchewan) Explained

Basin Lake
Location:RM of Three Lakes No. 400, Saskatchewan
Pushpin Map:Saskatchewan#Canada
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Saskatchewan
Coords:52.6334°N -105.2839°W
Type:Salt lake
Outflow:None
Basin Countries: Canada
Cities:None

Basin Lake[1] is an endorheic salt lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lake is in the RM of Three Lakes No. 400 in the Boreal Transition ecoregion[2] and is within an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada and part of the Basin and Middle Lakes Bird Sanctuary.[3] [4] There are no communities along the lake's shore and the closest highway is Highway 20. At to the south, Humbolt is the closest city.

Description

Basin Lake is a salt lake within the Carrot River watershed.[5] It has no overland outflow and water levels are dependent upon spring run-off, intermittent creeks, the water table, and rainfall. As a result, water levels fluctuate greatly and extensive mudflats form near the lake's shoreline. Basin Lake is the end point in the terminal Lenore Lake basin, with lakes such as Lenore Lake, Frog Lake, and Middle Lake upstream.[6] [7] The lake is surrounded by farms and groves of aspen, willow, and white spruce. Until the 1970s, the lake supported a population of whitefish but as the lake's salinity increased, the population could not be supported.[8]

The lake was formed in the 1890s after significant summer rains in 1896 soften the ground allowing a spring to rise up from an aquifer in the nearby hills. Prior to the flooding, the area was a depression with a "mixture of bushes, sloughs and hay meadows." Eventually the lake's water level rose to match the aquifer's. The aquifer has a natural underground spring that flows into the Carrot River Valley.[9]

Basin and Middle Lakes Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Basin Lake, and neighbouring Middle Lake,[10] are part of the Basin and Middle Lakes Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS) and Basin and Middle Lakes (075) Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada. The MBS was established on 9 March 1925 and "is a major resting and feeding area for migratory waterfowl and swans." The lakes, at about apart, were designated an IBA in 2001. The eastern part of Basin Lake and parts of Middle Lake are designated critical piping plover habitat and is provincially protected under the Wildlife Habitat Protection Act. While Basin Lake averages about deep, Middle lake averages only about deep.[11] Directly to the south-east is another migratory bird sanctuary at Lenore Lake.

Basin and Middle Lakes provide important habitats to several bird species, including the American white pelican, double-crested cormorant, pied-billed grebe, horned grebe, eared grebe, western grebe, red-necked grebe, California gull, black tern, common tern, and the black-crowned night heron.[12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Basin Lake . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 14 April 2023.
  2. Web site: Ecoregions of Saskatchewan . usask . 30 May 2008 . University of Saskatchewan . 14 April 2023.
  3. Web site: Basin and Middle Lakes Migratory Bird Sanctuary – Basin Lake . BRMB Maps . Mussio Ventures Ltd. . 14 April 2023.
  4. Web site: Basin and Middle Lakes Bird Sanctuary . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 14 April 2023.
  5. Web site: Carrot River Valley Watershed Association . CRWatershed . 16 December 2023.
  6. News: Adams . Elodie . Noah's Ark syndrome for Middle Lake . 16 December 2023 . SaskToday . Glacier Media Group . 20 September 2011.
  7. Web site: Carrot River Watershed Source Water Protection Plan . WSask . Saskatchewan Watershed Authority . 16 December 2023.
  8. Web site: Basin Lake Fishing Map . GPS Nautical Charts . Bist LLC. . 14 April 2023.
  9. News: Loehr . Philip . Throwback: Basin Lake origin traced to 1896 . 14 April 2023 . SaskToday . Humboldt Journal . 4 August 2019.
  10. Web site: Middle Lake . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 14 April 2023.
  11. Web site: Basin and Middle Lakes Migratory Bird Sanctuary . ECCC . 16 March 2015 . Government of Canada . 14 April 2023.
  12. Web site: Basin and Middle Lakes . IBA Canada . Birds Canada . 14 April 2023.