This is the image I selected for the September page of my 2025 David Thompson Country Calendar. These young aspens are along the shore of Abraham Lake. The lake is actually a reservoir, and is the result of the damming of the North Saskatchewan River by the Bighorn Dam.
Transalta Utilities generates electricity at the dam, and it is also used to control water levels on the river, downstream. In the early spring the reservoir level is very low. Water is continually released to generate electricity, but over the summer months the inflow into the reservoir is greater than the amount released. By late summer the reservoir is full, often flooding shoreline trees and getting close to the highway in places. This photograph was taken in late fall, a couple of years ago, when this small grove of trees became inundated. Over the winter months the water is released and the level drops significantly, with the cycle repeating in the spring.
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