Shellmouth Reservoir

The Shellmouth Reservoir (also known as Lake of the Prairies) is a man-made reservoir on the Assiniboine River in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada.

Lake of the Prairies
Shellmouth Dam
Location	R.M. of Shellmouth-Boulton / R.M. of Shell River, Manitoba and Cote No. 271, Saskatchewan
Coordinates	51°08′40″N 101°30′19″W
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Assiniboine River, Shell River (Saskatchewan), Cupar Creek
Primary outflows	Assiniboine River
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	56 km (35 mi)
Surface area	61.5 km^2 (23.7 sq mi)
Water volume	480×10^^6 m^3 (390,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation	425 m (1,394 ft)

The Shellmouth Dam (50°57′49″N 101°25′07″W) is an embankment dam built by the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA). Construction started in 1964 and was completed in 1972 costing CDN $10.8 million. The dam is 70 feet (21 m) high and 4,200 feet (1,300 m) long. The reservoir is 35 miles (56 km) in length and stores 390,000 acre feet (480 million cubic metres) at the spillway crest level of 1,408.5 feet (429.3 m). Outflows are controlled by a gated conduit and a 210-foot (64 m) wide concrete chute spillway.[1] The normal summer level target is between 1,400 feet (430 m) and 1,404 feet (428 m).

The dam and reservoir are part of a strategy to reduce the risk of flooding on the Assiniboine River and in Winnipeg. For example, in the 1997 Red River flood, the inflow to the reservoir peaked at 10,000 cubic feet per second (280 m³/s) while the outflow never exceeded 1,700 cu ft/s (48 m³/s).[2] The reservoir is also used to supplement flows on the Assiniboine when conditions are dry ensuring water supply for Brandon, Portage la Prairie, irrigators and some industries.

The reservoir is also known by the name "Lake of the Prairies". Asessippi Provincial Park is established around the southern arm of the lake.

Fish species

Fish species include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, mooneye, burbot, rock bass, brown bullhead, white sucker, shorthead redhorse and common carp. Rock bass are Saskatchewan's only native bass.

Gallery

• 
  Shellmouth Dam sign
• 
  Lake of the Prairies from the Shellmouth Dam
• 
  Shellmouth Dam Control Structure
• 
  Shellmouth Dam Spillway
• 
  Lake of the Prairies

See also

• Portage Diversion (Assiniboine River Floodway)
• Red River Floodway

References

1. https://www.gov.mb.ca/flooding/fighting/shellmouth_dam.html Shellmouth Dam, Province of Manitoba, retrieved 2012 Oct 9
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2012-10-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Flood Control Works retrieved 2012 Oct 9

External links

• Lake of the Prairies Conservation District
• Fish Species of Saskatchewan
• Lake Levels