Temperatura de color

Course

The whole of the catchment area extends on approximately 179.000 km ². Of a 1.271 km length, it takes its source with the lakes of Outaouais and Capimitchigama in the Laurentides, to 280 km in the North-West of Montreal. The river runs initially towards the west in the area of Abitibi-Témiscamingue then, starting from the Lac Témiscamingue, it is used as natural border between Ontario and Quebec until Hawkesbury. In the southern part of this section, upstream of Ottawa and Gatineau, two large islands find themselves (island with the Matches and island of the Large-Peace pipe): these two islands belong to Quebec. Between the two islands, one finds the municipality of Fort-Coulonge. In this section, the river receives several rivers of which the Dumoine, the Noire, the Coulonge and the Quyon. Starting from Gatineau, on its left bank and of Ottawa, on its Right Bank, it has as affluents several other rivers of importance (southern Curtain and Nation, Right Bank, in Ontario, and Gatineau, Blanche, of Hare, northern Nation, Red, left bank, in Quebec). It forms a tank until Carillon, where Hydro-Quebec maintains a stopping with hydroelectric station of 675 MW. Before the construction of this stopping, rapids and a fall (Fall-with-Blondeau) prevented navigation on a distance of approximately 20 km. (Bearing of Chime) Then, the river formed a natural lake to Ottawa (Rapids Boilers) where there is a stopping today.

The towns of Ottawa in Ontario (federal capital, 800.000 hab.) and Gatineau in Quebec (230 000 hab.) form the principal core of population on the river. Downstream, one finds the towns of Montebello, Papineauville, Hawkesbury, Grenville and Carillon.

Further, downstream from Chime, the river widens to form the Lac of the Two Mountains (Mount Stone and Oka Mount) and finally is thrown in the St. Lawrence river mainly by the Rivière of the Meadows which receives 70 percent of its water. The remainder runs out directly towards the river (10% by the Lac Saint-Louis) or by the river of the Mile-islands.

Flow

The river of Outaouais is provided with several stoppings which control its flow. In the part where it is used as border between the two provinces, the hydroelectric production of the stoppings is divided between Ontario Hydro and Hydro-Quebec, the two provincial companies of State of electrical production.

With the mouth of the river, close to the Lake of the Two Mountains in the surroundings of Montreal, the average of the flow is established to 1.950 m ³ /s; this flow knows variations between 700 and 8.000 m ³ /s.

History

9.000 years ago, the sea of Champlain (chart), created following the withdrawal of the glaciers, starts to be withdrawn towards the east, thus forming the valleys of Outaouais and the St-Laurent. With its more high level, it occupied the grounds located under 200 m of altitude (compared to the current level of the seas).

The river was for a long time the way privileged by the Amerindian and the first trappers to reach the Big lakes and the west of Canada (Pays of in Top) by the lake Nipissing and north by the lake Témiscamingue, the higher course of Outaouais and the rivers which communicate there. Its current name comes from a tribe originating in the island Manitoulin (located in the Lake Huron) which made use of it to come to make the draft of the furs with the first French explorers. Its name algonquin, Kitchesippi, means Grande river . The river of Outaouais also bore the following names: the Large river (Galinée 1670), River of Outaouai , River of Huron the , River of Outaouacs or of the Meadows (Bernou 1680), Outaouais (), Utawas To rivet ().

* See also History of Pontiac.

Sources

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