Crooked Lake Outlet Structure Replacement

The Crooked Lake water control structure (existing facility) is located at the east end of Crooked Lake, approximately 135 km east of Regina, Saskatchewan, in Sunset Beach (an Organized Resort Hamlet) in the Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184. The existing facility consists of a reinforced concrete outlet structure, stop logs, and earthen dyke at the east end of Crooked Lake. Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) constructed the existing facility in the 1940s and the structure was owned and operated by the Federal Government until 2014. The structure is now owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) and has been assessed to have surpassed its design life. The existing Crooked Lake outlet structure is in deteriorated condition, is difficult and unsafe to operate, and acts as a barrier to fish migration during normal operation. The WSA proposes to replace the existing facility.

The primary purpose of the Crooked Lake Outlet Structure Replacement Project (Project) is to replace the existing facility to allow for safer operation, better control of lake water levels, and increased fish passage potential. The Project will include a replacement outlet structure, a fishway, and a dedicated construction and maintenance access road. The replacement outlet structure will be constructed on the north side of the existing outlet structure and will be equipped with electrically or hydraulically operated gates to allow for easier and safer operation and subsequently, more reliable control of lake water levels. Fish passage will be enhanced with the construction of a weir structure in the outlet channel upstream of the existing outlet structure. Construction is expected to occur within approximately 2 years, commencing in May of Year 1 and extending to October of Year 2.

The WSA characterized the existing biological, physical, and human environments, and carried out an assessment of potential effects to identify constraints and opportunities for mitigation to reduce the adverse effects of the Project. After considering project alternatives and applying mitigation strategies, the WSA predicted the Project  will result in six residual effects. Adverse residual effects on vegetation and wildlife habitat are expected to occur based on a loss of 20,200 m2 of riparian floodplain vegetation. Positive residual effects on fish and wildlife are anticipated based on a predicted net gain of aquatic habitat of approximately 2,931 m2. A positive residual effect is also predicted related to increased fish passage potential and increased upstream distribution of fish, relative to the existing condition. Finally, the replacement of the control structure will result in the continued ability to manage and maintain water levels in the lake for recreation in the future. 

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Latest update

The assessment is in progress.

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Key documents

Key documents
Document Number Document Title File Date
2 Water Security Agency Technical Proposal PDF (14.3 MB) December 5, 2023
1 Notice of Determination -Start of Public Comment Period - December 5, 2023

Contacts

ISC-SKENV
Indigenous Services Canada
Alvin Hamilton Building, 1783 Hamilton Street
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2B6
Telephone: 306-581-3134
Email: isc-skenv@sac-isc.gc.ca


  • Location

    • Crooked Lake - SW-08-19A-05 W2M (Saskatchewan)
  • Nature of Activity

    • Dams and reservoirs
  • Assessment Status

    In progress
  • Start Date

    2023-12-05
  • Proponent

    Water Security Agency
  • Authorities

    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    • Indigenous Services Canada
    • Transport Canada
  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands
  • Reference Number

    86123
Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

 

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...within 200 kilometres
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