Gardiner Dam
The Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan is the third largest embankment dam in Canada and one of the largest embankment dams in the world. Construction on Gardiner Dam and the smaller Qu'Appelle River Dam was started in 1959 and completed in 1967, creating Lake Diefenbaker upstream and diverting a considerable portion of the South Saskatchewan's flow into the Qu'Appelle River. The dam rises 64 metres in height, is almost long and has a width of at its base with a volume of 65,000,000 cubic meters. The dam is owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.
satellite image of Lake Diefenbaker showing the Qu'Appelle River Dam at the southeast end and the Gardiner Dam at the northeast end
Danielson Provincial Park has property on both sides of the dam. On the northeast end is the RV park and on the southwest end is a beach, restaurant and guided tours of the Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station. The park was named after Gustaf Herman Danielson.
An integrated power generating plant, SaskPower's Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station, produces a net 186 MW of electricity from three 62 MW generators. Highway 44 crosses the river atop the dam.
The dam is named for a former Premier of Saskatchewan and longtime federal cabinet minister, James G. Gardiner.
