Good Spirit Lake

A brief history

Good Spirit Lake, located 50 km northwest of Yorkton Saskatchewan or 20 km southwest of Canora, has a long, rich and varied history. Artifacts found in the region indicate that early inhabitants used the area as a place for hunting, fishing and picking berries for hundreds of years.

Fur traders such as Peter Fidler and D. W. Harmon are known to have been here in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After the signing of the treaties the natives living around the Lake relocated to reserves. Many moved to the Little Bone Indian Reserve south of Yorkton.

The first settlers, who arrived near the end of the 1800s, came as ranchers because of the abundant supply of water, grasslands and firewood. As the area became more settled the lake became well-known as a recreation spot. It was a good place for fishing, picnics, ball games, family gatherings and dances.

Soon cottages were being built on the north, east and south shores. The natural beauty with clean water, endless sandy beaches and the dunes attracted many visitors. Many of the descendents of the original settlers still live in the area and have historic ties to the lake.

Lake water levels

The lake is a shallow prairie lake with a natural sand bottom. It is believed that the lake was formed near the end of the last ice age when the retreating glacier deposited huge amounts of sand and rocks as it melted. Most of the lakebed is 10 to 15 feet in depth. This supports a self-sustaining fishery. The last time stocking was done was in 1989 when 500,000 walleye were released. The riparian area consists of 75 per cent trees, shrubs and prairie; 13 per cent dunes, and 12 per cent cottages.

R.A. Freeze (1970) did extensive research to estimate the water inputs and outputs. For his study, a network of 28 air, water and soil gauging sites were monitored for five years from 1964 to 1968. He found that 53 per cent of the water inputs to Good Spirit Lake is by precipitation directly into the lake. Ground water inflow, mostly from the sand and gravel deposits on the west side, account for 35%. This side is protected by little development and a perennial vegetation cover. Surface water inflow accounts for 12%.

Most of this is carried by Spirit Creek and several constructed drainage ditches. One hundred per cent of the water outflow during Freeze’s study occurred through evaporation.

During the 1970s increased agriculture drainage caused a sharp increase in the lake levels which in turn resulted in several years of flooding. In response, an outlet ditch with a control structure was completed in 1989.

The highest recorded level since 1964 occurred in 1976 at 1592.4 feet above sea level, compared to a low level of 1583.8 feet in 1964. Resort flooding begins at 1591.5 feet. The first flow through the control structure occurred in 1995 when the lake reached flood level. At the time of freeze-up in the fall of 2003; the level stood at 1585.81 feet.

Water quality

The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority prepares water quality reports for Friends of Good Spirit Lake, with the assistance of volunteer members of the group.

View the 2007 report

After the flood of 1995, lake users noticed a deterioration of the water quality. The water appeared more turbid and weed and algae growth began to show up during the warm summers.

In the spring of 1998 an organization known as Friends of Good Spirit Lake was formed and incorporated. This is a non-profit, volunteer-driven lake stewardship group comprised of interested lake users, cottage owners, farmers and local residents. Their goal is to collect water quality data in order to better understand water quality issues and to promote programs that will preserve and enhance the beauty of the lake for future generations.

Since only sporadic data was available for the previous 25 years, two programs of extensive sampling was started with assistance from SaskWater and Sask Wetlands Corp (Prairie Water Care) along with volunteers from the Friends of Good Spirit Lake. For five years the three main beaches, one baseline site (lake centre), one drainage ditch and four sites on Spirit Creek have been sampled.

With the amalgamation of SaskWater and Sask Wetlands to form the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, the sampling program also changed to avoid some of the duplication that was occurring. As well in cooperation with Saskatchewan Environment the sample analysis now includes a number of pesticides and metals. This is part of a provincial program to provide an index rating to a watershed to indicate the water quality suitability for specific usages, such as recreation, fisheries, and irrigation.

Since the sampling began in 1998, SaskWater (now known as the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority) has provided the Friends of Good Spirit Lake a comprehensive report of the results of sampling analysis. Below is the Conclusion of the 2002 report:

"Good Spirit Lake has a moderate to high level of nutrients. While there are no provincial objectives set for nutrient levels in Saskatchewan, Good Spirit Lake does have sufficient nutrients to stimulate algal and weed growth. At the onset of this monitoring program algal growth was not that prevalent in Good Spirit Lake, however over the last two years the algal productivity has increased.

"The lake is also turbid with a low secchi disc reading. This may be in part be due to the sandy nature of the lake but water clarity can also be affected by suspended sediment, algal growth, and water colour. As in 2001, the 2002 secchi disc readings at Good Spirit Lake did not meet the provincial objectives for contact recreation. Based on the nutrient conditions, chlorophyll levels and secchi disc transparency in 2002, Good Spirit Lake would be classified as a eutrophic lake.

"The lake is also an alkaline lake, that is a well-buffered system having a fairly high total alkalinity. The mineral concentration is moderate and the water is hard. The overall mineral concentration has not changed significantly over the last several years. The major cation was magnesium and the major anion was sulphate.

"As Good Spirit Lake is a shallow well-mixed lake, the dissolved oxygen levels remain uniform throughout the entire water column. In 2002 four dissolved oxygen profiles were completed at the baseline station on Good Spirit Lake, and on all four occasions the dissolved oxygen levels were satisfactory, and met Saskatchewan Surface Water Quality Objectives for the protection of aquatic life. The bacterial quality of the lake was also good at the baseline station in the middle of the lake throughout the open water season."

by Ray Riesz
Friends of Good Spirit Lake