Manitou Lake (Saskatchewan)


Manitou Lake is a salt-water lake in the middle of southern Saskatchewan west of Saskatoon, Sk. Because the lake is endorheic and quite salty there are no fish in the lake. Manitou Island in the centre of the lake is now connected to the southern shore as the water level has lowered.

Description

The lake is fed from Eyehill Creek on the south end, as well as many small springtime meltwater tributaries. The lake overflows to the north into the Battle River, although this has only happened once since European settlers first arrived in the area. Lake levels were relatively constant until 1980, and have been declining rapidly since then, approximately one meter every six years. Less annual snowfall is blamed for most of this trend, and there is also heavier utilization of the Eyehill Creek system by urban, industrial, and agricultural users.
There is very little development on the lake although on the North-West Bay near the Suffern Lake Regional Park there is a golf course, cabins and a . The communities of Marsden and Neilburg are nearby to the north on Highway 40.