Welcome to Crawling Valley Reservoir
The Crawling Valley area was part of a land grant to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company Ltd. (CPR) by the Dominion of Canada in 1903. The CPR began construction of the irrigation system now known as the EID in 1910 with the construction of the Bassano Dam. Crawling Valley was a major obstruction to the gravity flow irrigation canal system of the time, requiring the construction of a wooden flume across the top to transport the water across the valley.
Although the present reservoir was not constructed until the mid-1980's, the value of this site as a water storage location was recognized as early as 1925. The reservoir was fully operational by the spring of 1985, at which time the old wooden flume was retired. The development of the reservoir began in 1983 with the PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration) overseeing the design and construction. The Crawling Valley Reservoir is the second largest body of water within the Eastern Irrigation District (EID).
The reservoir is approximately 16 km (10 mi) long and 2 km (1.6 mi) across at its widest point, with a maximum depth of 16 m (52 ft). Along with its agricultural importance, the reservoir offers a multitude of recreational benefits such as camping, boating, fishing, and hunting; Crawling Valley is well known for its excellent fishing. The reservoir was originally stocked with 700,000 trout to provide a sports fishery, until species such as northern pike became naturally established. As the pike population increased, the trout population decreased. A total of 600,000 walleye fry were stocked in the reservoir between 1990 and 1993, to supplement the pike population. The walleye population appears to be doing well, but sport fishing for walleye is presently restricted to catch and release until a self-sustaining population is fully established.
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Location
The reservoir is located 8 km (5 mi) north and 6 km (4 mi) east of the Town of Bassano and can easily be reached from the Trans Canada Highway.
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Along with its agricultural importance, the reservoir offers a multitude of recreational benefits. Camping, boating, fishing and hunting are some of the activities that take place on or around the lake. Crawling Valley is well known for its excellent fishing. The reservoir was originally stocked with 700,000 trout to provide a sports fishery, until species such as northern pike became naturally established. As the pike population increased, the trout population decreased. A total of 600,000 walleye fry were stocked in the lake between 1990 and 1993, to supplement the pike population. |
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