Geography of Saskatchewan - Hydrography

Hydrography

• see also List of Saskatchewan rivers, Lakes of Saskatchewan, Lakes of Canada

The total area of freshwater is 59,366 km2. There are two main river basins, the Nelson and Churchill River Basins, both of which drain into Hudson Bay. Qu'Appelle and Souris, the North and South Saskatchewan, confluence is east of Prince Albert becoming the Saskatchewan which are all a part of the Nelson river basin. The Churchill River connects lakes and streams through the lower portion of the Canadian shield. Rupert's Land a historical political division of Canada comprised all lands of the Hudson Bay drainage system between the years 1670 to 1870. Frenchman River does not flow east to Hudson Bay, but rather south to the Missouri River, which is part of the Missouri river basin catchment area. The Mackenzie River basin of north Saskatchewan flows north draining into the Arctic Ocean, which belongs to the Mackenzie river basin drainage area.

There are over 10 thousand lakes across Saskatchewan, the main lake region being north of the tree line in the Canadian Shield. Saskatchewan's largest lake is Lake Athabasca which sits astride the Saskatchewan – Alberta border. The second in size is Reindeer Lake which is located on the Saskatchewan – Manitoba border. Other lakes of notable size would be Wollaston, Cree, Frobisher, and Lac La Ronge. The deepest water point 220 meters (720 ft) is located in Reindeer Lake at the Deep Bay Structure site which was created by a meteor impact.

Saskatchewan is also home to preserved wetlands which are partially submerged areas of land. Saskatchewan's waterways also contain bogs, as well as the salt water lakes. Quill Lake is Canada's largest saltwater lake, Chaplin Lake is a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network and Little Manitou, an ehdorheic lake, is a popular tourist resort. Brine shrimp siheries have existed on sodium magnesium sulphate lakes such as Chaplin, Frederick, Ingebright, and Little Manitou lakes.