| Chaudière Kik8ntekw | |
| Name Etymology: | Cauldron/boiler river River of the fields |
| Map: | Chaudiererivermap.png |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Length: | 185km (115miles) |
| Discharge1 Min: | 11m3/s |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 114m3/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 470m3/s |
| Source1: | Lake Mégantic |
| Source1 Location: | Lac-Mégantic, Estrie |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 45.5722°N -70.8833°W |
| Mouth: | Saint Lawrence River |
| Mouth Location: | Lévis, Chaudière-Appalaches |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 46.7428°N -71.2786°W |
| Basin Size: | 6682km2 |
The Chaudière River (French for "Cauldron" or "Boiler"; Abenaki: Kik8ntekw[1] [2]) is a 185adj=midNaNadj=mid river with its source near the Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Mégantic in the Estrie region, it runs northwards to flow into the St. Lawrence River opposite Quebec City.
The river's drainage area is 6682km2, initially in the Appalachian Mountains, then in the low-lands of the St. Lawrence, and include 236 lakes covering 62km2 and approximately 180,000 inhabitants. Its annual medium flow at the station of Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon is 114m3/s, varying from 11m3/s (low water) to 470m3/s (spring high water), with historical maximum of 1760m3/s.
Its principal tributaries are:
The river's basin has nearly 50 percent of the faunal richness of Quebec, namely 330 out of 653 vertebrate species known in the province can be found there.
The river, and the 40adj=midNaNadj=mid Chaudière Falls which it passes over, are popular outdoor recreation areas.
Its course crosses the regional county municipalities (MRC) of:
Left bank of the Chaudière river (from the confluence):
Right bank of the Chaudière river (from the confluence):
The Abenaki Nation, whose homeland Ndakinna encompasses the river and Chaudière Falls, call it "Kik8ntekw" or "Kikonteku", meaning "River of the Fields." On the charts of Samuel de Champlain, it was given the name "Etchemin River" (a name now used for another river whose drainage area borders with that of the Chaudière River). It was called "Rivière du Sault de la Chaudière" for a period of time before it became simply "Rivière Chaudière" towards the end of the 18th century. This name translates as boiler and refers to the waterfall close to its mouth.
Its location was strategic for French colonization during the 18th century, because the river was a natural link between New France and the British colonies to the south. It was also used by Benedict Arnold at the time of his 1775 expedition in the invasion of Quebec.
In 1823, gold was found along its shores in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.[3]
On 6 July 2013 the Lac-Mégantic derailment caused a major oil spill which contaminated the river at its source at Lac Mégantic.[4] Downstream communities such as Saint-Georges (to the northeast) were forced to obtain potable water from alternate sources and residents asked to limit their water consumption.[5] Floating barriers were installed in an attempt to contain the contamination.
The Chaudière Valley largely crosses the Quebec region of Beauce. It has shaped its industries and its way of life, particularly in spring when its overflows during snowmelt in inhabited areas are frequent, despite its course regulated by 160 dams and retaining dikes. The river runs through several towns and villages in the region, including Saint-Ludger, Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce, Saint-Martin, Saint-Georges, Notre-Dame-des-Pins, Beauceville, Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Vallée-Jonction and Sainte-Marie, Quebec.
The river is a prime site for outdoor activities, particularly near lac Mégantic and Chutes-de-la-Chaudière park. Located near the mouth of the river, in Lévis, this park offers hiking and cycling trails as well as a footbridge suspended over the river, which offers a viewpoint on the fall, high. The fall was harnessed for its hydro-electric potential in 1901, but was destroyed in 1970. The dam was rebuilt in 1999 on the remains of the old installations, and supplies a small hydro-electric plant of . [6]
| Sleepers | Photo | Municipality (ies) | Year of construction | Road | Length | Bridge type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge 16179 | Lake Mégantic | Frontenac Street | Steel girder bridge | ||||
| Railway bridge | Lake Mégantic | Central Maine and Quebec Railway | Steel girder bridge | ||||
| Bridge 18952 | Lake Mégantic | Papineau Street | Precast prestressed concrete girder bridge | ||||
| Bridge | Lake Mégantic | Québec Central Trail | |||||
| Bridge 10965 | Lake Mégantic | 2005 [7] | Route 161 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Bridge 13899 | Lac-Drolet and Audet | 1969 [8] | Main path | Precast prestressed concrete girder bridge | |||
| Soucy Bridge | Saint-Ludger | 1958 [9] | Pont Street | Reinforced concrete girder bridge | |||
| Bridge | Saint-Martin | 2009 | Multifunctional trail | Suspended walkway | |||
| Bridge 13967 | Saint-Martin | 1970 [10] | Route 269 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Sartigan dam | Saint-Georges | 1967 | Barrage-Sartigan road | Concrete-gravity dam | |||
| David-Roy Bridge | Saint-Georges | 1970 [11] | Route 271 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Passerelle de la Seigneurie | Saint-Georges | Cycle path of the Domaine de la Seigneurie | Steel girder walkway | ||||
| Manac footbridge | Saint-Georges | Cycle path of the Domaine de la Seigneurie | Steel girder walkway | ||||
| Canam-Boa Franc Gateway | Saint-Georges | Cycle path of the Domaine de la Seigneurie | Steel girder walkway | ||||
| Bridge 13921 | Notre-Dame-des-Pins | 1969 [12] | 30th Street | Precast prestressed concrete girder bridge | |||
| Pont Perrault | Notre-Dame-des-Pins | 1929 | Cycle lane | Covered bridge | |||
| Desjardins Gateway | Beauceville | 2008 | Cycle lane | Steel lifting gangway | |||
| Pont Fortin | Beauceville | 1980 [13] | Route 108 | Steel box girder bridge | |||
| Bridge 00793 | Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce and Saint-Joseph-des-Érables | 1908 [14] | Route 276 | Lower steel deck bridge | |||
| Bridge 18298 | Vallée-Jonction | Quebec Central Railway | Steel lower deck bridge | ||||
| Bridge 00814 | Vallée-Jonction | 1938 [15] | Route 112 | Lower steel deck bridge | |||
| Bridge 10861 | Sainte-Marie | 2003 [16] | Route 216 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Family Bridge-Beshro | Sainte-Marie | 2015 [17] | Multifunctional trail | Cable-stayed gangway | |||
| Scott's Bridge | Scott | 1995 [18] | Route 171 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Bridge 03994 | Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon | 1960 [19] | Route 218 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Bridge 14760 | Lévis | 1976 [20] | Autoroute 73 | Precast prestressed concrete girder bridge | |||
| Bridge 14761 | Lévis | 1975 [21] | Autoroute 73 | Precast prestressed concrete girder bridge | |||
| Railway bridge | Lévis | Canadian National | Steel girder bridge | ||||
| Chutes-de-la-Chaudière footbridge | Lévis | Cycle lane | Suspension bridge | ||||
| Bridge 04011S | Lévis | 1965 [22] | Autoroute 20 | Bridge with upper deck in reinforced concrete | |||
| Bridge 04011N | Lévis | 1967 [23] | Autoroute 20 | Bridge with upper deck in reinforced concrete | |||
| Bridge 13887 | Lévis | 1960 [24] | Autoroute 73 | Steel girder bridge | |||
| Railway bridge | Lévis | Canadian National | Steel girder bridge | ||||
| Bridge 16928 | Lévis | 2010 [25] | Route 132 and 175 | Steel crutch bridge |