Du Poète Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Du Poète Lake |
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Watershed of Saint-Maurice River
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 Du Poète Lake
Location in Quebec
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| Location | La Tuque |
| Coordinates | 48°24′55″N 75°30′28″W / 48.41528°N 75.50778°W |
| Type | Lake of dam |
| Primary inflows | Mégiscane River, Suzie River |
| Primary outflows | Mégiscane River (natural outlet), Mégiscanne Channel (actual outlet) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 4.0 kilometres (2.5 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 406 metres (1,332 ft) |
| Islands | 3 |
Du Poète Lake is a freshwater lake in Quebec, Canada. It's located west of the huge Gouin Reservoir. This lake has been turned into a "Du Poète Reservoir" because of dams.
It's part of the Mégiscane River's natural path. It also gets water from the Suzie River through a special channel. The lake is well-known for the Mégiscane Dam, which was built at its natural exit. This dam was put in place in 1954. Its main job is to send water from the Suzie River and the upper Mégiscane River towards the Gouin Reservoir. This extra water helps power the hydroelectric stations along the Saint-Maurice River.
Making electricity from water, called hydropower, is the most important activity in this area. Forest work and fun tourist activities like fishing are also important.
Forest roads help people get to Du Poète Lake. One road goes east-west and leads to the Mégiscane Dam. Another road, R1009, goes north-south and serves the western part of the Gouin Reservoir.
The surface of Du Poète Lake usually freezes from mid-November to the end of April. It's generally safe to be on the ice from early December to late March. The lake's water level changes depending on the dams and weirs (small dams) that control it.
Contents
Lake Du Poète's Location
Du Poète Lake is surrounded by other important water bodies.
- To the north, you'll find the Mégiscane River and Rivas Lake.
- To the east are parts of the Gouin Reservoir, like Adolphe-Poisson Bay and Du Mâle Lake (Gouin Reservoir).
- To the south, there's more of the Mégiscane River and Provancher Creek.
- To the west, you'll find Suzie River and Kekek River.
Dams of Du Poète Lake
Two main dams control the water flow of Du Poète Lake. These dams help manage water for making electricity.
The Mégiscane Dam
A dam was built by Hydro-Québec in 1954 at the lake's natural exit. It was updated between 1992 and 1994. This dam is made of concrete and is 221 metres (725 ft) long and 9.6 metres (31 ft) high. It can hold a lot of water, up to 49 million cubic meters! This dam is part of a bigger system with other dikes and dams.
The Auxiliary Weir Dam
After the dams were built, Du Poète Lake changed its shape. It now looks a bit like a seahorse. The auxiliary weir dam is 44 metres (144 ft) long and 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) high. This dam is made of earth. Its purpose is to help control the water levels for hydropower. The lake holds water from a reservoir that is about 180 hectares (440 acres) in size.
Du Poète Lake itself is about 4.0 kilometres (2.5 mi) long. It collects water from the Mégiscane River in the south. On its west side, it gets water from the Suzie River through a canal that comes from Brécourt Lake.
Water's Journey from Du Poète Lake
The natural exit of Du Poète Lake is where the Mégiscane Dam is located. From here, the water travels a long way.
The water flows from the artificial exit of Du Poète Lake for about 133.8 kilometres (83.1 mi) to reach the Gouin Dam. Here's how the water travels:
- First, it goes southeast through a diversion channel.
- Then, it crosses an unidentified lake.
- Next, it flows through a second diversion channel to Piciw Minikanan Bay.
- It then crosses Piciw Minikanan Bay and Adolphe-Poisson Bay.
- After that, it flows through Du Mâle Lake (Gouin Reservoir), Bourgeois Lake (Gouin Reservoir), and Toussaint Lake, passing south of the village of Obedjiwan, Quebec.
- Finally, it travels east through Marmette Lake, then southeast through Brochu Lake, and into Kikendatch Bay until it reaches the Gouin Dam.
From the Gouin Dam, the water continues its journey along the Saint-Maurice River. It eventually flows into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières.
Name of the Lake
The French name "lac du Poète" was officially recognized on December 5, 1968, by the Commission de toponymie du Québec. This commission is in charge of naming places in Quebec.
