Buffalo Pound Dam upgrades support Saskatchewan water supplies

Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency has finished major rehabilitation work on Buffalo Pound Dam, and key infrastructure improvements are nearing completion, the government said Oct. 15. David Marit, the minister responsible for the Water Security Agency, joined stakeholders to mark progress on the $12 million project.

The government says the work strengthens dam safety and flood resilience for communities across south-central Saskatchewan. “This project will help ensure the dam continues to operate safely and reliably for years to come,” Marit said.

About 25 per cent of the province’s population draws water from Buffalo Pound Lake, including Regina and Moose Jaw, the release says. It also serves two potash mines and other industrial facilities.

Moose Jaw Mayor James Murdock said the upgrades “will help provide the reliable water supply our businesses, industries and residents depend on.” Ron Brumwell, reeve of the Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw, said local people, businesses and industries “depend on a reliable water supply every day,” and that the upgrades “help protect that reliability.”

The release lists completed work on the emergency spillway, which crews restored to its original height. A control structure project, including a new control building and backup power generation, is almost complete. Bridge deck repairs are complete, while erosion and seepage repairs and new monitoring equipment are still underway.

Construction on a stretch of the Upper Qu’Appelle River channel from the Qu’Appelle River Dam to Tugaske Bridge is expected to begin this month, the release says. The work is meant to improve flow from Lake Diefenbaker into Buffalo Pound Lake and reduce erosion along the river.

The government says it invested nearly $40 million in more than 60 water infrastructure projects in 2026-27.