Abstract

The Rafferty and Alameda Reservoirs were constructed in the late 1980s as part of an integrated water management project in southeastern Saskatchewan. Although precipitation within the region has been below normal, portions of both reservoirs have been inundated since the early 1990s. In 1993, the author had the opportunity to re-visit both reservoirs after a partial draw-down. This paper will compare current hypotheses on reservoir impacts to heritage sites with the results of the 1993 field work. In general, site impacts were quite severe despite the relatively short period of inundation. While the filling rate for the Rafferty Reservoir may be atypical, the information obtained in 1993 has implications for managing important sites during drawdowns. Finally, there are a large number of reservoirs on the prairies and few, if any, have an explicit strategy for heritage site protection. This paper will touch on some of the issues that must be considered in such a plan.