Manitou Lake (Saskatchewan)

Manitou Lake
North-West Bay
Location	Manitou Lake No. 442, Saskatchewan
Coordinates	52°43′N 109°43′W / 52.717°N 109.717°W / 52.717; -109.717Coordinates: 52°43′N 109°43′W / 52.717°N 109.717°W / 52.717; -109.717
Lake type	Endorheic
Primary inflows	None
Primary outflows	None
Basin countries	Canada
Islands	1
Settlements	Marsden, Neilburg

Manitou Lake (sometimes spelled Manito) is the largest salt-water lake in the prairie provinces, situated in Western Saskatchewan, near Marsden, Saskatchewan. Because the lake is endorheic and quite salty, there are no fish in the lake. There is one large island in the centre which divides it into four bays. There is very little development on the lake, although on the North-West Bay there is a park which has a golf course, cabins and a Bible Camp.

The closest towns are Marsden on the northwest corner, and Neilburg on the northeast corner.

Manitou Lake is one of three lakes in the world that share similar chemical composition, the two other lakes are in Israel and the Czech Republic. There are 27 different types of salts dissolved in the water, which is thought to give the water its healing qualities that the ancient Cree claimed.

The lake is fed from Eyehill Creek on the south end, as well as many small springtime meltwater tributaries. The lake overflows to the north into the Battle River, although this has only happened once since European settlers first arrived in the area (approximately 1905). Lake levels were relatively constant until 1980, and have been declining rapidly since then, approximately one meter every six years. Less annual snowfall is blamed for most of this trend, and there is also heavier utilization of the Eyehill Creek system by urban, industrial, and agricultural users on the Alberta side of the border. There is an interprovincial agreement that Alberta may only use 50% of the water supply of any surface water system. There has not yet been an official study to see if this agreement is being adhered to.