"It's beautiful... we could enjoy this for a whole year." These were the words of Bruce Standingready from White Bear First Nation, speaking about the greatly-expanded Big Marsh Lake. He's right of course, catch it in the right conditions, with blue sky and just a few clouds reflected in the water, and the sight is breathtaking.
As with many other marshes and lakes across south east Saskatchewan, Big Marsh Lake has either benefitted or suffered from massive amounts of additional water this spring, depending on your point of view. And certainly there are two major views to be considered in this case.
First, there is the conservationist position. The Marsh is a natural feature where water normally exists, but it's rarely this full, and the current water level adds to the appeal of an already impressive area. The second viewpoint relates to the economics of the marsh. Although somewhat hidden from the traveller along Highway 9, there are several oil installations in the immediate area. With the extra water, production has ceased from these installations and some of them are under several feet of water.
This situation has led to rumour and street-talk locally. Some people say the oil companies want to completely drain the marsh; others will tell you the water is already polluted. Neither of these rumours appears to be true however.
According to Harvest Operations Corporation, there has been no evidence of any pollution in the water. The Alberta-based oil company prides itself on being very proactive in conservation issues, and is testing the marsh on a regular basis during this period. The Land authorities at White Bear are also doing their own testing, and they agree with the oil company that pollution is not an issue.
The drainage situation also appears to have been over-stressed in the rumours. The oil company does admit they have lost production, but it is such a tiny percentage of their overall business that they called it "a non-event." While it would be in their interest to regain access to their equipment, they cannot go in and open up culverts or breech roads without a special directive from the government or municipal authorities. Immediate drainage would severely impact other properties, so it cannot be done without multiple levels of consultation and resulting permissions.
So for now discussions are ongoing with the watershed authority, and testing of the water continues. If water is to be released it is likely to be gradual. Culverts may be opened to enable drainage through natural waterways such as Swift Creek and Moose Mountain Creek, but once again this would entail discussion and approval at various levels, so for now, the lake remains, as a haven for wildlife and a thing of beauty to the beholder.
