Bourgeois Lake facts for kids

Before the construction of the La Loutre Dam in 1916, creating the Gouin Reservoir, Lake Bourgeois had a smaller dimension. After the second raising of the waters in 1946 with the development of the Gouin Dam, Lake Bourgeois took on its present form.

The main hydrographic slopes near Lake Bourgeois are:

• north side: De la Rencontre Creek, Aiapew Bay, Tcikitinaw Bay, Toussaint River;
• east side: Kanatakompeak Bay, Kamitcikamak Lake, Toussaint Lake, Marmette Lake, McSweeney Lake, Magnan Lake;
• south side: Thibodeau Bay, Bureau Lake (North Bay), Rocher-Matci Bay;
• west side: Thibodeau Bay, Des Aigles Bay, Du Mâle Lake, Plamondon Creek, Berthelot River, Pascagama River.

The Lake Bourgeois is fed by the waters of the Du Mâle Lake (located to the West), Thibodeau Bay (located to the South) and Aiapew Bay (located in the North). The De la Rencontre Creek, coming from the North, flows into the Male Lake, almost at the north-west entrance of Lac Bourgeois.

With a length of 16.3 kilometres (10.1 mi) (North-South direction), Lake Bourgeois stretches to the narrow bay located in the northern part of the lake (being the Aiapew Bay which has a length of 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi)) and the opposite to the bottom of the Wacihiskacik Bay (narrow bay) to the South. A peninsula stretching northward on 16.4 kilometres (10.2 mi) distinguishes the eastern side of Plamondon Bay and Lake Bourgeois; another peninsula stretching southward on 10.1 kilometres (6.3 mi) distinguishes the east side of the De la Rencontre Creek and Bourgeois Bay. These two peninsulas meet almost, forming a narrow passage where all the water of the western part of the Gouin Reservoir passes towards Kanatakompeak Bay (towards the East). Thus, this pass is a must to sail from the west to the north-central part of the Gouin Reservoir.

On the west side of the lake, an archipelago delimits Lake Bourgeois with the Du Mâle Lake. The largest of these islands has a length of 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) and a width of 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi); it straddles the townships of Toussaint and Lemay. Thibodeau Bay is located on the south side of this island. The latter is located at 6.0 kilometres (3.7 mi) west of the village center of Obedjiwan, Quebec.

The mouth of Lake Bourgeois is located northeast of the lake, at:

• 17.0 kilometres (10.6 mi) north-east of the Kaopatinak Pass which separates the Du Mâle Lake in two;
• 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) west of the village center of Obedjiwan, Quebec which is located on a peninsula on the north shore of the Gouin Reservoir;
• 74.5 kilometres (46.3 mi) northwest of Gouin Dam;
• 124.5 kilometres (77.4 mi) northwest of the village center of Wemotaci, Quebec (north shore of the Saint-Maurice River);
• 213 kilometres (132 mi) north-west of downtown La Tuque;
• 317 kilometres (197 mi) northwest of the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River (confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières).

From the mouth of Lake Bourgeois, the current flows over 86.1 kilometres (53.5 mi) until Gouin dam, according to the following segments:

• 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) easterly crossing Toussaint Lake to the south of Obedjiwan, Quebec village;
• 81.9 kilometres (50.9 mi) to the east, crossing in particular Marmette Lake, then to the South-East crossing notably Brochu Lake, then going across the Kikendatch Bay until Gouin Dam.

From this dam, the current flows along the Saint-Maurice River to Trois-Rivières where it flows onto the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River.