| Opuntia Lake | |
| Location: | RM of Winslow No. 319 and RM of Mountain View No. 318, Saskatchewan |
| Coords: | 51.8167°N -108.584°W |
| Type: | Salt lake |
| Inflow: | Eagle Creek |
| Outflow: | Eagle Creek |
| Basin Countries: | Canada |
| Agency: | Saskatchewan Water Security Agency |
| Date-Built: | 1946 |
| Cities: | None |
| Pushpin Map: | Saskatchewan#Canada |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Saskatchewan |
Opuntia Lake[1] is a shallow, man-made salt lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was formed with the construction of the Opuntia Control along Eagle Creek in 1946.[2] The lake is in the Mixed Moist Grassland ecoregion of the Great Plains[3] and the entire lake is part of the Opuntia Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS).[4] The nearest community is Plenty and there are no public facilities at the lake.[5] The nearest highway is Highway 31.[6] The town of Biggar is about to the north-east.
Opuntia Lake MBS is a migratory bird sanctuary that encompasses all of Opuntia Lake and covers an area of . It was founded in 1952 and is an important stop-over for migratory birds as it is "strategically positioned along a major flyway for geese and other waterfowl". Birds commonly found at the MBS include the Canada goose, white-fronted goose, snow goose, Ross's gull, mallard, northern pintail, sandhill crane, and the tundra swan.[7] [8] [9]
Opuntia Lake Control is a dam built in 1946 along the course of Eagle Creek. It created Opuntia Lake, which is a reservoir with a volume of and is operated by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency. The dam measures high.[10]