Lac la Retenue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lac la Retenue |
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 Lac la Retenue
Location in Quebec
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| Location | L'Ange-Gardien, La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality (MRC), Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 46°59′09″N 71°07′46″W / 46.98583°N 71.12944°W |
| Primary inflows | Rivière la Retenue, Bras Nord-Ouest. |
| Primary outflows | Rivière la Retenue |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 07 km (4.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.3 km (0.19 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 197 m (646 ft) |
| Settlements | L'Ange-Gardien |
Lac la Retenue is a lake that was made by people, not nature. It's an important part of the rivière la Retenue (Retenue River), which flows into the Ferrée River.
You can find this lake northeast of Quebec City. It's located in the town of L'Ange-Gardien, within the La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada. The lake is surrounded by homes in L'Ange-Gardien.
The lake's surface usually freezes from early December until late March. It's generally safe to walk on the ice from mid-December to mid-March. The amount of water in the lake changes with the seasons and how much rain or snow falls. The lake usually floods a bit in March or April due to spring melt.
Contents
Exploring Lac la Retenue
What is the lake like?
Lac la Retenue is about 0.7 kilometers (0.4 miles) long. It's an artificial lake, meaning it was created by building a dam. The lake gets its water from the North-West Arm, which flows into an L-shaped bay.
The lake has two places where water flows out. The main one is the rivière la Retenue. The other is the rivière du Petit Pré, which starts on the south side of the dam.
Where does the water go?
The water from Lac la Retenue travels a long way!
- First, it flows about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) along the rivière la Retenue.
- Then, it joins the Ferrée River and flows about 11.5 kilometers (7.1 miles) south.
- Finally, it flows about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) east along the Montmorency River. This river then empties into the big Saint-Laurent River.
The mouth of Lac la Retenue is:
- About 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) northwest of downtown L'Ange-Gardien.
- About 7.9 kilometers (4.9 miles) north of where the rivière la Retenue ends.
- About 9.1 kilometers (5.7 miles) north of where the Montmorency River ends.
- About 6.8 kilometers (4.2 miles) northwest of the St. Lawrence River.
How Lac la Retenue Got Its Name
The lake is named "Lac la Retenue" because of the dam that holds back, or "retains," the water of the Retenue River. Long ago, a very important person named Monsignor de Laval might have helped build the first dam here.
During the French Regime, a special canal was built from this man-made lake. This canal helped to feed water to the Petit Pré River and the mill river, which likely powered local mills.
The name "Lac Savane" was officially recognized on December 5, 1968. This was done by the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec, which is like a special group that names places in Quebec.
