Carheil Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carheil Lake |
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 Carheil Lake
Location in Quebec
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| Coordinates | 52°39′27″N 67°05′13″W / 52.6575°N 67.0869444°W |
| Native name | Lac Carheil Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
| Primary outflows | Carheil River |
| Catchment area | 328 square kilometres (127 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Average depth | 33.9 metres (111 ft) |
| Max. depth | 76 metres (249 ft) |
Carheil Lake (called Lac Carheil in French) is a lake in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located just south of the town of Fermont. This lake is the starting point of the Carheil River. The Carheil River then flows south into the Aux Pékans River.
For some time, the lake has had a problem with pollution. This pollution comes from phosphorus in wastewater from Fermont. This has caused too much algae to grow, which is called an algal bloom. This is a concern because Carheil Lake is one of the main sources for the wild and beautiful Moisie River.
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Where is Carheil Lake?
Carheil Lake is found south of Fermont. It is also south of Quebec Route 389, a major road. The lake is located in the Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality. This area is close to the western border of Labrador.
The lake sits on a high plateau, about 300 metres (980 ft) (about 984 feet) above sea level. This plateau is part of the Canadian Shield. The lake's long shape shows it was formed by glaciers. Carheil Lake is quite deep. Its deepest point is 76 metres (249 ft) (about 249 feet) in the middle. On average, it is 33.9 metres (111 ft) (about 111 feet) deep.
What's in a Name?
The name "Carheil Lake" became official on December 5, 1968. The group in Quebec that names places, the Commission de toponymie du Québec, doesn't have much information about why it was named this.
However, there is a canton (a type of land division) called Carheil far to the west. This canton is named after a Jesuit missionary named Étienne de Carheil (1633-1726). It is possible that the lake is also named after him.
How Water Flows Through the Lake
Carheil Lake is at the very top of the Moisie River's water system. It collects water from an area of 328 square kilometres (127 sq mi) (about 127 square miles). The area around the lake has rounded hills and flat parts with wet areas like peat bogs. There are also many other lakes and small streams.
- Lac Daviault is to the north of Carheil Lake. It flows into Carheil Lake through Lac Sans Nom.
- Lac de la Rue flows into the northwest of Carheil Lake through Lac Cladonie and Lac Low Ball.
- Lac Jonquet is to the east.
- Lac Moiré to the northeast also flows into Carheil Lake.
- Other small lakes like Lac Tupper, Lac Perchard, and Lac en Croissant also drain into it.
The Carheil River starts from the southeast part of Carheil Lake. This river is a branch of the Aux Pékans River. The Aux Pékans River then flows into the larger Moisie River. It's estimated that about 23 cubic metres per second (810 cu ft/s) (about 812 cubic feet per second) of water flows out of Carheil Lake.
Nature Around the Lake
The weather around Carheil Lake is quite cold. The average temperature for the whole year is −5 °C (23 °F) (about 23°F). July is the warmest month, with an average of 12 °C (54 °F) (about 54°F). January is the coldest, averaging −21 °C (−6 °F) (about -6°F). Some parts of the ground are always frozen, which is called permafrost.
In late July 2011, the lake's surface water was 16 °C (61 °F) (about 61°F). But at the very bottom, it was much colder, around 5 °C (41 °F) (about 41°F). The area around Carheil Lake is part of the boreal forest. This means it has many coniferous trees. These are trees that can handle a lot of moisture.
- Common trees include black spruce, yellow birch, trembling aspen, balsam poplar, balsam fir, and tamarack.
- The ground is often covered with moss and small shrubs like willows and heathers.
In 2015, the shoreline of Carheil Lake looked very natural and healthy.
People Near the Lake
There are some cottages and forest shelters around Carheil Lake. A road already connects Fermont to the lake. In 2015, a new 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) (about 3.7 miles) trail for quad bikes (ATVs) was built from Fermont to the lake. This was done by a local ATV club.
In 2017, a company called Metals Australia found something exciting nearby. They found high-grade graphite deposits very close to Carheil Lake. Graphite is important for making lithium-ion batteries. Samples from the Carheil Lake area showed very high amounts of graphite. This graphite was found on the west shore of the southern part of the lake. The company has drilled many holes and confirmed that this graphite area is quite large.
Lake Pollution and Cleanup Efforts
Carheil Lake is listed as a "Lake of Concern" by Quebec's environment ministry. In 2011, experts were worried about blue-green algae (called cyanobacteria) in the lake. This problem was caused by too much phosphorus in the lake. This phosphorus came from the wastewater treatment plant in Fermont, which had been releasing it for about 40 years.
The good news is that the treatment plant was updated. This reduced the phosphorus released by 80% to 90%. Even with less new phosphorus, the old phosphorus tends to stay in the lake. This means the lake could still have algae blooms from the phosphorus already there.
Researchers found that not much was known about the lake's water flow, oxygen levels, or fish populations. To learn more, a group called OBV Duplessis started a study in 2011. They looked at how water moves and the chemical makeup of the lake. A second report was planned to study the living things in the lake.
In July, the phosphorus level in Carheil Lake was 7.1 micrograms per litre (0.00050 gr/imp gal). In October, it was 4.9 micrograms per litre (0.00034 gr/imp gal). For comparison, Lake Perchard, which supplies drinking water to Fermont, had a lower phosphorus level of 3.3 micrograms per litre (0.00023 gr/imp gal) in October. A more complete report about the lake's living things was released in 2015.
