| Echo Lake | |
|---|---|
 Echo Lake | |
  Echo Lake Location in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Echo Lake Echo Lake (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Location | Saskatchewan |
| Group | Fishing Lakes |
| Coordinates | 50°48′0″N103°51′2″W / 50.80000°N 103.85056°W /50.80000; -103.85056 |
| Part of | Red River drainage basin |
| Primary inflows | Qu'Appelle River at Sioux Crossing |
| Primary outflows | Qu'Appelle River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 1,296.3 ha (3,203 acres) |
| Average depth | 9.8 m (32 ft) |
| Max. depth | 22 m (72 ft) |
| Water volume | 242,000 dam3 (196,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Shore length1 | 16 km (9.9 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 474 m (1,555 ft) |
| Settlements | Fort Qu'Appelle |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Echo Lake[1] is a lake along the course of theQu'Appelle River in theCanadian province ofSaskatchewan. Echo Lake is so named because of theecho heard by the First Nations while paddling on the lake. It is one of four lakes that make up theFishing Lakes.[2][3]Pasqua Lake is upstream andMission Lake is downstream. The lake can be accessed byHighway 56 andHighway 210.[4] In 1942, a 4-metre (13 ft) high dam was built on the Qu'Appelle River at Echo Lake's outflow to control the lake's water levels.[5] In the summer of 2024, Saskatchewan'sWater Security Agency begun "interim repairs" on Echo Lake Dam to "improve safety and extend the dam's life until a replacement can be completed".[6]
Echo Lake, as well as the other three Fishing Lakes, are all in the Qu'Appelle Valley, which was formed about 14,000 years ago during thelast ice age.Meltwater from the glaciers carved out the valley and as water levels rose and fell,alluvium was left in the wake. These piles of alluvium are what created the separations between the lakes.[7]
Echo Lake is located in theRM of North Qu'Appelle No. 187. The town ofFort Qu'Appelle is the largest community, not just on Echo Lake, but all of the Fishing Lakes. It is located at the eastern end of the lake, between Echo andMission Lakes. Echo Lake is home to tworesort villages;B-Say-Tah is on a point of land along the southern shore andFort San is located opposite B-Say-Tah on the northern shore.Standing Buffalo Indian reserve is located at the north-western corner of the lake and occupies the northern half of theisthmus that separated Echo Lake fromPasqua Lake.
Echo Valley Provincial Park is located at the western end of the lake, south of Standing Buffalo and west of B-Say-Tah. The park features camping, hiking, and access to both Pasqua and Echo Lakes for boating, swimming, and fishing. The beach at the park is called Echo Beach. Other beaches along the lake's shore include B-Say-Tah Point Beach and Fort Qu’Appelle Valley Centre beach.[8]
Echo Lake Bible Camp[9] is located west of Fort San along Highway 57.
The Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery (formallyFort Qu’Appelle Fish Culture Station), originally established in 1913, is located along Highway 210, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Fort Qu'Appelle and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Echo Valley Provincial Park, on the west side of B-Say-Tah. The hatchery produces between 40 and 50 million total fish annually, including both exotic and native species, which includes 500,000 trout and 20 million walleye. The hatchery is responsible for stocking over 200 bodies of water in Saskatchewan, including up to 150 lakes. It is the onlyaquaculture facility in Saskatchewan thatproduces fish for public angling opportunities.[10][11]
In November 2014, the administration of the Saskatchewan Fish Hatchery was transferred from theGovernment of Saskatchewan to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. The operating costs are funded by Saskatchewan’s Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF).[12]
Fish commonly found in Echo Lake includenorthern pike,walleye, andyellow perch.[13]
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Media related toEcho Lake (Saskatchewan) at Wikimedia Commons