Cowan Lake (Saskatchewan)

Cowan Lake[1] is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the Beaver River watershed. The primary inflow for the lake is Big River at the lake's southern end by the town of Big River and the outflow, located near the lake's northern end, is Cowan River at Cowan Lake Dam. The dam was originally built in 1937 and was upgraded in 1971. It is 4.2 metres (14 ft) high and the total volume of the reservoir created by the dam is 40,334 dam3 (32,699 acre⋅ft).[2][3]

Cowan Lake
Cowan Lake is located in Saskatchewan
Cowan Lake
Cowan Lake
Location in Saskatchewan
Cowan Lake is located in Canada
Cowan Lake
Cowan Lake
Cowan Lake (Canada)
LocationSaskatchewan
Coordinates54°18′05″N 107°30′01″W / 54.3015°N 107.5004°W / 54.3015; -107.5004
TypeReservoir
Part ofChurchill River drainage basin
Primary inflowsBig River
Primary outflowsCowan River
Basin countriesCanada
Surface area3,175.5 ha (7,847 acres)
Max. depth7.1 m (23 ft)
Water volume40,334 dam3 (32,699 acre⋅ft)
Shore length1126.05 km (78.32 mi)
Surface elevation483 m (1,585 ft)
IslandsCraddock Island
SettlementsBig River
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Highway 55 follows the length of the lake along its eastern shore and Highway 942 runs up most of the length of the western shore.

Parks and recreation

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At the southern end of Cowan Lake at the town of Big River is Big River Regional Park (53°50′16″N 107°01′26″W / 53.8379°N 107.0239°W / 53.8379; -107.0239). The park has a campground and boat launch on the lake's shore.[4][5] At the northern end of the lake is Cowan Dam Recreation Site (54°11′35″N 107°27′01″W / 54.1930°N 107.4503°W / 54.1930; -107.4503). It is a small campground at the dam that is accessed from Highway 55.[6][7]

Fish species

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Commonly found fish in the lake include northern pike, yellow perch, and walleye.[8][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cowan Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Dams & Reservoirs". 27 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Cowan Lake Fishing Map | Nautical Charts App".
  4. ^ "Big River". Regional Parks of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Regional Parks. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Big River Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Place names - Cowan Dam Recreation Site".
  7. ^ "Cowan Dam Campground | Tourism Saskatchewan".
  8. ^ "Angler's Atlas".
  9. ^ "Fishing in Cowan Lake".