Gardiner Dam Traditional Cache
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A roadside pullout at the Gardiner Dam. Be sure to take the time to read the cairns while you are here. We were thinking that its really odd there isn't a cache here considering what an amazing site this huge dam is. Of course we had to remedy that :) Some stealth may be required depending whether other people are there or not.
Original cache was a cammoed lock & lock which we were sure was missing so we replaced it with a bison tube but apparently they are both there! Sign whichever one you find. A dam in the South Saskatchewan River basin was envisioned as early as 1857, when Captain John Palliser headed an expedition from Britain to explore western Canada. The need for such a project became much clearer during several decades of persistent drought that continued in the area. Saskatchewan Premier and then Federal Minister of Agriculture James G. Gardiner, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Premier Tommy Douglas, all played significant roles in this ambitious undertaking. Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) began the engineering and construction of the massive project in 1959, a monumental undertaking that entailed the development of two dams and a massive reservoir in south-central Saskatchewan. In conjunction with the Qu'Appelle River Dam, the 64-metre tall, 5,000-metre long dam was officially opened on July 21, 1967, as part of Canada's Centennial celebrations. Both dams create Lake Diefenbaker, a 225 kilometer long reservoir with a full supply level of 556.87 metres. More than a third of Saskatchewan’s population depends on Lake Diefenbaker for various purposes including: power generation, irrigation, recreation, wildlife habitat, municipal and/or industrial use. When the South Saskatchewan River rises due to major rainstorms or rapid snow melt in Alberta, flooding can occur along its length. Lake Diefenbaker is operated to reduce downstream flows thereby reducing and often eliminating flood damages to property and developments which would otherwise occur. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority issues flow advisories to agricultural producers and other users along the system who could suffer damages during periods of high flood waters. The Gardiner Dam spillway is constructed from 260,000 cubic meters of concrete and is able to discharge a remarkable 7,500 cubic meters of water per second - that’s enough water to fill approximately 180 Olympic sized swimming pools per minute! An integrated power generating plant, SaskPower's Coteau Creek hydroelectric station produces a net 186 MW of electricity from three 62 MW generators. Also Highway 44 crosses the river atop the dam. The dam is named in honour of James Gardiner, who was the Premier of Saskatchewan from 1926 to 1929 and again in 1934 to 1935. He was also a federal cabinet minister for many years. The cost of constructing the Gardiner Dam and Qu'Appelle River Dam was approximately $120 million - to replace the structures today would cost about $1 billion!
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whavcref
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