Detour River Explained

Detour
Map:	Harricana map.png
Subdivision Type1:	Country
Subdivision Name1:	Canada
Subdivision Type2:	Provinces
Subdivision Type3:	District
Subdivision Name3:	Cochrane
Length:	80km (50miles)^[1]
Source1:	Turgeon Lake
Source1 Location:	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality), Nord-du-Québec, Quebec
Source1 Coordinates:	49.7289°N -79.8608°W
Source1 Elevation:	313m (1,027feet)
Mouth:	Turgeon River
Mouth Location:	Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipalité), Quebec
Mouth Coordinates:	49.9389°N -79.425°W
Mouth Elevation:	246m (807feet)
Tributaries Left:	(from de mouth) Bourgeois creek, Dugas creek, Little Detour River

The Detour River is a tributary of the Turgeon River, which flows in Canada through the administrative regions of:

Northeastern Ontario, in Cochrane District;
Nord-du-Québec, in the municipality of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality), in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Québec.

Geography

The hydrographic slopes adjacent to the Detour River are:

North side: Lawagamau River (Ontario), Malouin River (Quebec);
East side: Turgeon River (Quebec);
Southern side: Chabbie River (Ontario), Little Turcotte River (Ontario), Turgeon River (Quebec and Ontario);
West side: Lawagamau River (Ontario).

The Detour River originates in Northeastern Ontario, at the mouth of the "Upper Lake Detour" (length:, elevation:), southeast of the lake Lawagamau, east of the Chabbie River and north of "North Chabbie Lake". The "Upper Detour Lake" has three parts bounded by peninsulas. Its mouth is situated on the eastern shore of the northern part of the lake.

River course in Northeastern Ontario

From "Upper Detour Lake", the Detour River flows:

to the north by collecting the waters of six streams;
to the east, to a stream from the south;
to the north;
to east to Monaghan Lake landfill (length:, elevation:);
to northeast, along the eastern shore of Detour Lake (length: ; elevation:) where the river will be discharged at the tip of a point the northeast shore, in the marsh area. This lake receives the waters of five surrounding lakes, through four landfills. The current crosses the river to the north for about . Then the current branches off towards the east where the river resumes its course;
southeast to the west shore of Lower Detour Lake (length: ; width: ; altitude:). This lake receives from the north the waters of Stake Lake (altitude:) and two lakes to the south;
to the east, then to the south, through marsh areas, to the Quebec border.

Course of the river in Northeast of Quebec

From the Quebec - Ontario border, the Detour River flows eastward to the Turgeon River. In this segment of Quebec, the Detour River collects the waters of:

"Sunday Creek" (Ontario) from the north, draining the waters of several Ontario lakes including Kitchin Lake (elevation), Sunday Lake (elevation) et Auger Lake (elevation:) in Quebec;
the discharge of lake Lambert (Quebec) (coming from the south) which is long;
the discharge of Lac Geoffrion (long, elevation:), which drains upstream the waters of the Quebec lakes Grady (altitude:, Lavoie (altitude:) and Carrier (altitude:). The upper part of this branch drains wetlands in Ontario;
unloading of an unnamed lake (from the north).^[2]

The mouth of the Detour River flows into the Turgeon River at upstream of its confluence.

Toponymy

The following place names are interrelated: Upper Detour Lake, Little Detour Lake, Detour Lake, Lower Detour Lake and Detour River.

The place name Detour River (or "rivière de Détour", in French) was officially registered on December 5, 1968, at the Bank of Place Names of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.^[3]

Notes and References

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html Atlas of Canada
Distances measured from the Atlas of Canada (published on the Internet) of the Department of Natural Resources.
http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=18143 Commission de toponymie du Québec - Place Names Bank - Toponymy: "River of the Détour"