With the longterm future of the Boundary Dam Power Station up in the air, some in the southeast are starting to wonder about the bass population in Boundary Dam, a fish species that needs warm water to survive.

Estevan City Councillor Tony Sernick has already started a campaign called "Save the Bass."

"Years ago they (largemouth bass) were put into Boundary Dam. There was a type of catfish nicknamed the bullhead...they were taking over the lake. So the largemouth bass were introduced to eradicate those fish," Sernick said. "And obviously they have survived and thrived because of the hot water return from the power plant."

Sernick said he's participated in SaskPower seminars recently that discuss what the energy and power production of the future looks like. He added that the University of Regina is currently doing a study on what the impact would be on the largemouth bass population if the plant were shut down.

He said even if the station at Boundary Dam were converted to nuclear or natural gas, the bass could still likely survive in that environment.

"All I know is largemouth bass love their water steamed," Sernick said. "So whether it's coal, gas, or nuclear, there's only way to steam water. And that's through power production."

Save the BassDesign courtesy of Tiara Kofoed.

 

Estevan is currently up against Elbow, Sask for the right to house a SaskPower small modular reactor site.

"Hands down we have everything on the checklist that they need for the SMR, including Boundary Dam. I know people have talked Rafferty (Dam). Myself, I would like to see it on Boundary Dam, and a good reason is to preserve the largemouth bass," Sernick said.

Sernick said the hot water return at Boundary Dam enables a lot of year-round activities for people in the southeast.

"You can fish all year with snow on the ground, you can go kayaking, or go out in a boat if you want to," he said. "The water is a lot cooler than it used to be. It didn't matter how cold the winter was...half of the lake would be open. But currently it freezes up to the beach with all that's going on there."

"It's enough to keep it open, but it's definitely cooler than it used to be."