| Abitibi River | |
| Name Etymology: | Algonquin language |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Ontario |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Abitibi River in Ontario |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ontario |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Cochrane |
| Length: | 540km (340miles) [1] |
| Source1: | Lake Abitibi |
| Source1 Location: | 38 km east of Iroquois Falls |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 48.785°N -80.1731°W |
| Mouth: | Moose River |
| Mouth Location: | 30 km SSW from Moosonee |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 51.0714°N -80.9256°W |
| Basin Size: | 29500km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | Black River, Frederick House River, North Driftwood River |
| Tributaries Right: | Sucker River, Little Abitibi River |
The Abitibi River is a river in northeastern Ontario, Canada, which flows northwest from Lake Abitibi to join the Moose River which empties into James Bay. This river is long, and descends 265m (869feet).[2] It is the ninth longest river in Ontario, Behind the Ottawa River (1,271km), St. Lawrence River (1.197km), Severn River (982km), Albany River (982km), Winnipeg River (813km), Attawapiskat River (748km), English River (615km) and Moose River(547km).
Abitibi is an Algonquin word meaning "halfway water", derived from abitah, which may be translated as "middle" or "halfway", and nipi, "water". Originally used by the French to designate a band of Algonquin Indians who lived near the lake, the name was descriptive of their location halfway between the trading posts on the Hudson Bay and those on the Ottawa River.[2] [3]
The river was an important fur trading route for the Hudson's Bay Company. From 1914 Until 2014, pulp and paper, centered on the town of Iroquois Falls, was an important industry in the heavily forested region through which it flows. The region also supports tourism and gold mining.
The Abitibi Canyon Generating Station is located on the river at Abitibi Canyon. The experience of surveying the river for the purposes of building this plant was the inspiration for folk singer Wade Hemsworth's "The Black Fly Song".
Description of river course (in downstream order):
A small portion of the river (from the outlet of Lake Abitibi to Couchching Falls) is protected in the Abitibi-De-Troyes Provincial Park. Until April 2005, this park included all the public lands stretching along the Abitibi River to Iroquois Falls, but most of these were deregulated because the significant amount of private land within the area that made the management of the waterway class provincial park difficult.[4]
The Abitibi River is used extensively for the hydro-electric power generation. Power stations on the river are in downstream order:
| Installation | Capacity | Head | Year built | Operator | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Falls | 27.5 MW | 17m (56feet) | 1922 | H2O Power | 5 vertical Francis turbines[5] | |
| Iroquois Falls | 29.7 MW | 13m (43feet) | 1914 (rebuilt 2003) | H2O Power | 9 vertical Saxo Kaplan, 3 horizontal double Francis turbines[6] | |
| Long Sault Rapids | 16 MW | 9m (30feet) | 1998 | Algonquin Power Systems | Run-of-the-river | |
| Island Falls | 44.3 MW | 19m (62feet) | 1925 | H2O Power | 4 vertical Francis turbines[7] | |
| Abitibi Canyon | 345 MW | 1933 | 5x 68.8 MW Francis turbines | |||
| Peter Sutherland Sr. | 28 MW | 2017 | Ontario Power Generation | actually on New Post Creek[8] | ||
| Otter Rapids | 180 MW | 1961 | Ontario Power Generation | 4x 45 MW turbines |