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The
Rivers Dam and Lake Wahtopanah
The Rivers area is known throughout the Province as a great spot for
camping, boating and fishing. Lake Wahtopanah, a ten kilometre long
lake just east of town is, naturally, the focus of these
activities.
Large lakes are rare on the plains in southwestern Manitoba, so it
should come as no surprise that this one is man-made.
Also known as Rivers Reservoir, was created in 1960 to supplement water
supplies for irrigation. It also provides the water supply for the town
of Rivers, stock watering and ample opportunities for recreational use.
The reservoir is long and narrow, filling the valley of the Little
Saskatchewan River. The deepest point is about fifteen metres. A
metre-square gated conduit regulates the flow. Excess flow passes over
a 34 metres wide spillway. The reservoir stores about 200,000 cubic
metres of water and covers an area of about six and a half square
kilometres. The drainage area is about 3,300 square kilometres and
extends well into Riding Mountain National Park.
The building of the dams are undertaken after a careful assessment of
the water storage implications. In this case the Municipality of Daly
first raised the issue in 1947, supported by the Town of Rivers and the
Rivers Agricultural Society and the Rivers District Chamber of
Commerce. After studying the issue, the Manitoba Government asked the
Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration and the Canada Department of
Agriculture to investigate the feasibility of constructing a dam. Work
began in 1958.
The
opening ceremonies attracted a large crowd.
In addition to providing a reliable water supply, and attracting
fishermen, campers, and outdoor enthusiast, the dam is very important
in controlling water flow, both in dry periods when the river flow
almost stops, and in wet years when flooding can be a problem.
The
spillway.
Rivers Provincial Park
The creating of the reservoir naturally led to the creating of a Rivers
Provincial Park. This park consists of 38 hectares of mixed grass
prairie, and the campground is located on Lake Wahtopanah. The name is
a from of a native word watopapinah meaning “canoe people.”
The view
from the beach at Rivers Provincial Park
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