Buffalo Pound Lake
Water Quality Monitoring Buoys
Water quality monitoring buoys equipped with sensor technology have been deployed on Buffalo Pound Lake since 2014. These buoys gather data in real-time, providing the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant operators and researchers with the water quality data needed to understand and quickly adapt to changing lake conditions.
To access real-time in-lake water quality data from Buffalo Pound Lake, click here.
Note about real-time data: This data is available seasonally when the monitoring buoys are deployed. When the buoys are not active, this data stream is unavailable. There may be periods when some sensors may be offline. All data is subject to quality control following the deployment season.
About Buffalo Pound Lake
Buffalo Pound Lake is a drinking water source for approximately 25% of Saskatchewan’s population including the cities of Moose Jaw and Regina. It is also an important recreational site enjoyed by many. The lake is long and narrow (29 km long and less than 1 km wide), with an average depth of just 3 metres.1 The water is nutrient-rich, which promotes the growth of algae and cyanobacteria, and is also relatively high in dissolved organic matter. The lake can change over short timescales. In the summer, the lake often undergoes rapid changes in cyanobacterial bloom dynamics.
Long-Term Collaboration
Research partnerships between researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and our colleagues at the water treatment plant, as well as continued government support, help us to continue this work to understand how the surrounding watershed, management practices, and climate impacts affect the lake ecosystem.
Academic Research at Buffalo Pound Lake
Baron, A. A. P., Baulch, H. M., Nazemi, A., & Whitfield, C. J. (2025). Novel statistical analysis illustrates the importance of flow source for extreme variation in dissolved organic carbon in a eutrophic reservoir in the Great Plains. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 29(5), 1449–1468. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1449-2025
Gushulak, C. A. C., Chegoonian, A. M., Wolfe, J., Gray, K., Mezzini, S., Wissel, B., Hann, B., Baulch, H., & Leavitt, P. R. (2024, Jun 9). Impacts of hydrologic management on the eutrophication of shallow lakes in an intensive agricultural landscape (Saskatchewan, Canada). Freshwater Biology, 69, 984–1000. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14260
Glines, M. R., Renata, C. H., Amancio, M., Andersen, R., Baulch, H., Brighenti, L. S., Chmiel, H. E., Cohen, J. E., de Eyto, E., Erina, O., Feuchtmayr, H., Flaim, G., Giudici, A., Hamilton, D. P., Huot, Y., Kelly, M. R., Kelly, S., Laas, A., McBride, C., Minaudo, C., Bezerra Neto, J. F., Nugent, K., Ordóñez, C., Perga, M., Reid, B., Scott, C., Staehr, P. A. U., Tonetta, D., Wain, D., Ward, N. K., & Rose, K. C. (2024). Coefficients in Taylor’s Law increase with the time scale of water clarity measurements in a global suite of lakes. Ecology Letters, 27(12), e14451. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14451
Painter, K., Venkiteswaran, J. J., & Baulch, H. (2023). Blooms and flows: Effects of variable hydrology and management on reservoir water quality. Ecosphere, 14(3), e4472. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4472
Painter, K. J., Venkiteswaran, J. J., Simon, D. F., Duy, S. V., Sauvé, S., & Baulch, H. M. (2022). Early and late cyanobacterial bloomers in a shallow, eutrophic lake. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 24(8), 1212–1227. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EM00078D
Cavaliere, E., & Baulch, H. M. (2020). Winter in two phases: Long-term study of a shallow reservoir in winter. Limnology and Oceanography, 66(4), 1335–1352. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11687
Williams, C. J., Conrad, D., Kothawala, D. N., & Baulch, H. M. (2019). Selective removal of dissolved organic matter affects the production and speciation of disinfection byproducts. The Science of the Total Environment, 652, 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.184
Terry, J. A., Sadeghian, A., Baulch, H. M., Chapra, S. C., & Lindenschmidt, K.-E. (2018). Challenges of modelling water quality in a shallow prairie lake with seasonal ice cover. Ecological Modelling, 384, 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.06.002
Kehoe, M. J., Chun, K. P., & Baulch, H. M. (2015). Who smells? Forecasting taste and odor in a drinking water reservoir. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(18), 10984–92. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b00979
1. Water Source. Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant. Accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.buffalopoundwtp.ca/about/water-source