Riverin River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Riverin River |
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| Native name | Rivière Riverin |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Côte-Nord |
| RCM | Sept-Rivières |
| Municipality | Port-Cartier |
| Physical characteristics | |
| River mouth | Gulf of Saint Lawrence 49°47′08″N 67°09′23″W / 49.7855556°N 67.1563889°W |
| Length | 34 kilometres (21 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 218 square kilometres (84 sq mi) |
| Tributaries |
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| NRC id | EHWEN |
The Riverin River (also called Rivière Riverin in French) is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. A small power plant uses the river's water to make electricity.
Contents
Where is the Riverin River?
The Riverin River is located in Port-Cartier, Quebec. It gets its water from several small lakes, like Lac Riverin. The river flows south and has many fast-moving sections called rapids.
Near where it meets the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, it flows under Quebec Route 138. It joins the Saint Lawrence just north of the town of Rivière-Pentecôte. About 26.5% of the river's area is part of the Port-Cartier–Sept-Îles Wildlife Reserve.
The average temperature near the river's mouth is about 1.9 degrees Celsius (35.4 degrees Fahrenheit). It gets about 1154 millimeters (45.4 inches) of rain each year. Further inland, it's a bit colder and wetter.
Why is it Called Riverin?
The Pessamit Innu people used to hunt and fish by this river. They were called Riverin by Europeans. The river's name, which has been used since at least 1913, remembers their presence in the area.
Facts About the River
The Riverin River is about 34 kilometers (21 miles) long. It drops 366 meters (1,201 feet) from its start to its end. The amount of water flowing in the river changes throughout the year. On average, it flows at about 8.07 cubic meters (285 cubic feet) per second.
There are two main waterfalls on the river. The Simard Fall is 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from the mouth. The Fred Fall is 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) from the mouth. A dam is located about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the mouth. Below the dam, there is a 9-meter (30-foot) high waterfall. Another unnamed waterfall, 300 meters (980 feet) from the mouth, stops ocean tides from flowing further upstream.
Fish and Wildlife
The Riverin River is not known for salmon. However, you can find other fish here. These include rainbow smelt, American eel, brook trout, and three-spined stickleback.
The Riverin Dam
The Barrage de la Rivière-Riverin is a dam that is 6 meters (20 feet) high. It holds back a reservoir of about 180,999 cubic meters (6,391,000 cubic feet) of water. This reservoir covers an area of 10.6 hectares (26 acres).
The dam was built in 1946. It is made of concrete and is 90.5 meters (297 feet) long. The power plant at the dam started working in 1999. It can produce 2.01 megawatts of electricity.
The River's Watershed
The Riverin River's watershed covers 218 square kilometers (84 square miles). A watershed is the area of land where all the water drains into a particular river. This watershed is split almost equally between the unorganized territory of Lac-Walker and the town of Port-Cartier.
To the east, the Pentecôte River's watershed is next to it. To the north and west, it borders the Aux Rochers River's watershed. The Riverin watershed is about 35 kilometers (22 miles) long from north to south. It is about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) wide inland.
The land near the coast is a flat plain that rises to about 100 meters (330 feet) high. Further inland, the area has rocky hills. The highest point in the watershed is 437 meters (1,434 feet) high.
The ground is made of different types of magmatic rocks. These rocks were formed from molten material deep inside the Earth. In the hills, the bare rock often shows through the thin soil. Near the coast, the land has a lot of clay and silt. These were left behind by the Goldthwait Sea after the glaciers melted.
Wetlands, which are areas of land covered by water, make up about 5.63% of the watershed. These are found in flat areas near the coast. Upstream, the rivers follow straight paths because of cracks in the bedrock. In the coastal plain, the rivers curve and bend through the loose soil.
Lakes in the Watershed
Several lakes feed the Riverin River. Here are some of them:
| Lake | Area | Coordinates |
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| Lac du Canot | 78.8 hectares (195 acres) | 49°59′30″N 67°16′03″W / 49.9916°N 67.2675°W |
| Lac Lapointe | 33.2 hectares (82 acres) | 50°00′05″N 67°15′53″W / 50.0013°N 67.2647°W |
| Lac Riverin | 163 hectares (400 acres) | 50°00′20″N 67°17′19″W / 50.0055°N 67.2886°W |
