Ottawa River
This is about the river in Canada. For other uses, see Ottawa River (disambiguation) |
The Ottawa River flows southeast across this satellite image, joining the Saint Lawrence River which flows northeast. Heavily forested areas appear differing shades of orange/red, while farmland is tan shades. |
The
Ottawa River (French:
Rivière des Outaouais) defines for most of its length the border between the
Canadian provinces of
Ontario and
Quebec. It rises from its source in Lake Capimitchigama in the
Laurentian mountains of central Quebec, flows west to
Lake Timiskaming where it reaches the Ontario border, then flows southeast to
Ottawa and
Gatineau where it tumbles over the
Chaudière Falls and further takes in the
Rideau and
Gatineau rivers.
The Ottawa River drains into the
Lake of Two Mountains and the
Saint Lawrence River at
Montreal. The total length of the river is
1,271 km and it drains an area of
146,000 km², 65% in Quebec and the rest in Ontario. The average waterflow measured at Carillon dam, near the Lake of Two Mountains, is 1,950 m³/s, and it can vary from 700 to 8,000 m³/s.
Major tributaries include the:
*
Bonnechere River*
Coulonge River*
Gatineau River*
Kipawa River*
du Lièvre River*
Madawaska River*
Mattawa River*
Mississippi River*
Montreal River*
Rivière du Nord*
Petawawa River*
Rideau River*
Rouge River*
South Nation RiverFollowing the retreat of the
glaciers from this area at the end of the last
ice age, the Ottawa River valley was flooded by an arm of the
Atlantic Ocean known as the
Champlain Sea. Fossil remains of marine life have been found in marine
clay formed during that time. Sediment deposits from this period have resulted in areas of poor drainage and the presence of large
bogs in some ancient channels of this river. Another consequence was the formations of large deposits of a material commonly known as
Leda clay; these deposits become highly unstable after heavy rains. A number of
landslides have occurred as a result. The former site of the town of
Lemieux, Ontario collapsed into the South Nation River in
1993; however, the residents had already been relocated due to the suspected instability of the earth in that location.
Large numbers of
Canada Geese, ducks,
gulls and
shorebirds take advantage of spring flooding and wetlands in the Ottawa River valley during migration. Ducks also overwinter in sections of the river that do not freeze over.
This river was an important trade route for the
Algonquin people, who called it
Kitchissippi, "Great River". Some early European explorers, possibly considering the Ottawa River to be more significant than the Upper Saint Lawrence, applied the name
River Canada to the Ottawa River and the Saint Lawrence River below the confluence at Montreal. As the extent of the
Great Lakes became clear and the river began to be regarded as a tributary, it was variously known as the
Grand River, "Great River" or
Grand River of the Algonquins before the present name was settled upon. This name change resulted from Ottawa peoples' control of the river circa 1685. However, only one band of Ottawa, the Kinouncherpirini or Keinouch, ever inhabitted the Ottawa Valley.
In
1615,
Samuel de Champlain and
Étienne Brûlé, assisted by Algonquin guides, were the first Europeans to travel up the Ottawa River and follow the water route west to
Georgian Bay that would be used by
French fur traders for the next two centuries.
In the early
19th century, the Ottawa River and its tributaries were used to gain access to large untouched forests of
white pine. A booming trade in timber developed and large rafts of logs were floated down the river. In
1832, the Ottawa River was connected to
Lake Ontario via the construction of the
Rideau Canal. Today,
Outaouais Herald Emeritus at the
Canadian Heraldic Authority is named after the river.
A number of
hydroelectric dams have been constructed on this river. However, it is still extensively used for recreational boating.
 |
The Ottawa River below Parliament Hill, Ottawa |
Communities along the Ottawa River include in down-stream order:
*
Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Quebec*
Ville-Marie, Quebec*
Témiscaming, Quebec*
Mattawa, Ontario*
Deep River, Ontario*
Petawawa, Ontario*
Pembroke, Ontario*
Waltham, Quebec*
Fort-Coulonge, Quebec*
Portage-du-Fort, Quebec*
Braeside, Ontario*
Arnprior, Ontario*
Quyon, Quebec*
Aylmer, Quebec*
Hull, Quebec*
Ottawa, Ontario *
Gatineau, Quebec*
Orleans, Ontario*
Angers, Quebec*
Masson, Quebec*
Rockland, Ontario*
Thurso, Quebec*
Plasance, Quebec*
Papineauville, Quebec*
Montebello, Quebec*
Fassett, Quebec*
L'Orignal, Ontario*
Grenville, Quebec*
Hawkesbury, Ontario*
Saint-André-Est, Quebec*
Rigaud, Quebec*
Saint-Placide, Quebec*
Hudson, Quebec*
Oka, Quebec*
Vaudreuil-sur-le-lac, Quebec*
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec*
Pincourt, Quebec*
Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec*
List of Ontario rivers*
List of Quebec rivers*
Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board*
Ottawa Riverkeeper*
The Ottawa River*
Algonkin History
