Saskatchewan River Delta

[6][7] The delta expanded eastward as the lake shallowed by glacial rebound, eventually exposing the earlier – formed The Pas Moraine between 8,200 and 8,700 years ago.

As the SRD developed through time, the principal channels of the Saskatchewan River frequently changed courses (avulsed) as part of the normal process of delta evolution.

The 1870s event also contributed to the demise of sternwheeler riverboat traffic on the Saskatchewan River in the late 1800s and early 1900s because of difficulties in navigating through the modified channel networks resulting from the diversion.

[11] Developmental and avulsion history of the lower delta is more poorly known although evidence of multiple historical channels is apparent from aerial photographs and satellite imagery.

The diversity of wetlands in combination with the network of streams, lake ecosystems and terrestrial vegetation, make the Saskatchewan River Delta one of Canada's richest regions for abundance and diversity of wildlife, especially large mammals (moose, elk, white-tailed deer, black bear), fur-bearing mammals (notably muskrat, beaver, mink, otter, fisher, lynx, wolf), fish, waterfowl and other birds.

The delta also serves as a valuable spring and fall staging area for waterfowl and other water birds travelling to and from the northern boreal and arctic regions.

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC),[22] a private non-profit conservation organization, also developed several wetland management projects dating back to the 1940s.

DUC currently manages several wetland areas in the SRD totaling approximately 3,000 km2 (1,200 sq mi) under conservation agreements with the two provincial governments, with input and guidance from local advisory committees.

Following the development of the Grand Rapids project, the Manitoba government designated portions of the SRD as Wildlife Management Areas in recognition of these environmental impacts and as partial mitigation for habitat loss upstream of the dam.

Campbell Dam, which impounds nearly all river-borne sediment entering the reservoir (Tobin Lake) and modifies natural discharge fluctuations such that normally high spring and summer flows are significantly diminished.

[24] Removal of sediment outflow by impoundment has caused enlargement of channels downstream of the dam and reduction of sediment-borne nutrients to the delta ecosystem.

[26] Although agricultural reclamation currently affects only a small portion of the SRD, mostly near the Carrot River west of The Pas, modest expansion continues to take place in areas where wetlands have been drained.

Given the multiple jurisdictional (provincial and federal) responsibilities associated with both the Saskatchewan River and the SRD, there is growing concern that resource management and planning decisions affecting the delta will become more difficult to effectively coordinate in the face of increasing environmental stresses, especially declining water supplies.