| Cazeau River | |
| Pushpin Map: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Capitale-Nationale |
| Subdivision Type4: | Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality |
| Subdivision Type5: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name5: | Château-Richer |
| Length: | 151km (94miles) |
| Source1: | Confluence of two mountain streams |
| Source1 Location: | Château-Richer |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 47.0302°N -71.0695°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 431 m |
| Mouth: | St. Lawrence River |
| Mouth Location: | Château-Richer |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 46.9472°N -71.0439°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 4 m |
| Tributaries Left: | Five unidentified streams |
| Tributaries Right: | (upward from the mouth) Discharge of two little lakes, four unidentified streams. |
The Cazeau River flows south, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence river, in the municipality of Château-Richer, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.
The lower part of this small valley is served by avenue Royale (route 360) and route 138 which runs along the north shore of St. Lawrence River. The upper part has mountainous relief and is accessible only by secondary forest roads including Chemin Careau (coming from the north). Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; agriculture (lower part) second.
The surface of the Cazeau River is generally frozen from the beginning of December until the end of March; however, safe traffic on the ice is generally from mid-December to mid-March. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April.
The Cazeau River begins at the confluence of two streams in the Laurentian plateau behind the Côte-de-Beaupré, in Château-Richer. This source is located between three mountain peaks, northeast of the mouth of the Cazeau River and northwest of the shore northwest of the St. Lawrence River.
From this source, the course of the Cazeau river descends on, with a drop of, according to the following segments:
The Cazeau River flows into Château-Richer in a small bay on the Île d'Orléans Channel on the northwest shore of the St. Lawrence River. This bay is located between the Battures des Îlets (located on the south side) and the Le Moyne River (located on the north side). This bay faces Île d'Orléans which is to the east. This confluence is located north of the village center of L'Ange-Gardien, south of the village center of Château-Richer and north of the bridge connecting the Île d'Orléans to L'Ange-Gardier.[1]
Known since 1851, this toponym evokes the memory of Jean Cassaux (around 1699-1761), surgeon, originally from the town of Issor in Béarn, in France. He acquired a first lot of land in 1724 in this parish. The spelling of his patronym used in the name of the river will subsequently include the letter z notably in an act of land concession in 1750. Later, the spelling Cazeau will identify a station of the "P'tit train de Sainte-Anne" fitted out by the Quebec Railway Light and Power company which operated this railway serving the Côte de Beaupré. Nowadays, the hamlet of Rivière-Cazeau is located near this old train station.[2]
The toponym "Rivière Cazeau" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[3]