| Metabetchouan River | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Quebec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Capitale-Nationale, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean |
| Length: | 169.4km (105.3miles) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 47m3/s |
| Source1: | Mâles and Bouteille Lakes |
| Source1 Location: | Lac-Croche, Capitale-Nationale |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 47.4358°N -71.6853°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 701 |
| Mouth: | Lac Saint-Jean |
| Mouth Location: | Chambord / Desbiens, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 48.4208°N -71.9653°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 99m (325feet) |
| Basin Size: | 2245km2 |
| Tributaries Left: | (from the mouth) grande rivière Désir, rivière Prudent, ruisseau du Carcajou, ruisseau Noir, décharge du lac Pichou, décharge des lacs des Deux Clubs et Rond, rivière de la Chaine, décharge du lac Rousseau, décharge du lac de Fol Orignal, rivière à la Chute, décharge du lac Les Mares, décharge du lac à Renard, décharge du lac Rat Musqué et du lac du Vison, décharge du lac Bohémier, décharge du lac Guêpe, décharge du lac Voisard, décharge du lac Monbleau, décharge des lacs Teraux et des Couvains, décharge du lac des Lobélies, décharge des lacs Bastien et du Duc, décharge du lac Fleury, décharge du lac Roublard, décharge du lac Gagné, décharge du lac de la Douve, décharge du Petit lac Rocand, décharge du lac Arène, décharge d'un ensemble de lacs dont Lessard, Miron, Manseau et Lamarre, décharge du lac Esmery, décharge du lac Baribeau, décharge du lac des Morilles et Étang de Rétention. |
| Tributaries Right: | (from the mouth) rivière MacDonald, décharge du Le Réservoir, rivière L'Abbé, décharge d'un ensemble de lacs dont Brûlé, Saint-Patrice, Eire, de la Place, ruisseau du Cimetière, rivière à la Carpe, ruisseau des Femmes (décharge du Petit lac à la Carpe), ruisseau Louise, Partie intermédiaire (en amont de la rivière aux Canots) rivière aux Canots, décharge du lac Huard, décharge du lac des Luzules, décharge du lac Bacchus, décharge du lac Pélée, décharge des lacs Hervieux, Ossian et Michaud, décharge du lac Rollin, décharge du lac du Brion, décharge du lac Joly, décharge du lac du Boucan et du lac Topping, décharge du lac des Félins, décharge du lac Levin, décharge du lac de la Branloire, décharge du lac du Sillon, décharge du lac Mallette, Partie intermédiaire (en amont de la rivière Moncouche) Moncouche River, décharge du lac de l'Aigail, décharge du lac Tourlay, ruisseau Long, décharge des lacs Cérès, Taylor et Turmaine, décharge du lac Pélichy, décharge du lac Goudard et du lac Dulong, décharge du lac Gemme, décharge du lac Bureau, décharge des lacs Théophile et Desève, décharge du lac Lavoie et Oudant, Métascouac River, Métascouac South River, Partie supérieure Métabetchouane East River, rivière de la Place, décharge du lac de la Giboulée, décharge des lacs Serré et Coquille, décharge du lac Ombrelle, décharge des lacs Oblong et Minime, décharge du lac Laberge, décharge du lac Bourette et Henri-Mercier, décharge du Petit lac Companay et du lac Compagnay, décharge du lac Gazaille. |
The Metabetchouan River (French: Métabetchouane) is a tributary of Lac Saint-Jean in the centre of the province of Quebec, Canada. The course of this river successively crosses the regional county municipalities (MRC) of:
It ends at Desbiens, where a cave called Le trou de la Fée is located. Its source are the Mâles and Bouteille Lakes in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve and it is long.[1]
The river has been dammed for hydroelectric power. Now, it is also a tourist river with rafting, canoeing, and fishing opportunities. It is known for its reserve of fresh-water salmon. In the region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, this fish is known as Ouananiche.
This watercourse begins in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. The course of this river constitutes:
The Métabetchouane river valley is mainly accessible by:
The surface of the Métabetchoune River (except the rapids zones) is usually frozen from the end of November to the beginning of April, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to the end of March.
With an average flow of 47 m3/s, it takes its source in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. It has several falls, including the "chute à l'Épouvante" (Fall to the Horror) and the Martine Fall.
The main watersheds neighboring the Métabetchouane River are:
The Métabetchouane river rises at the mouth of Lac des Mâles (length: 1.8km (01.1miles); altitude: 701m (2,300feet)). This lake is enclosed between mountains, one peak of which 820m (2,690feet) to the east and another to 875m (2,871feet) in the southwest. This lake is mainly fed by the outlet (coming from the west) of lakes Hansel, Gretel, Petit lac Matteau and lac Matteau. Its mouth is located north at: 9.3km (05.8miles) south-east of lac aux Rognons, 10.6km (06.6miles) west of Petit lac Jacques-Cartier, 16.1km (10miles) northeast of Batiscan Lake, 50.7km (31.5miles) east of Lac-Édouard, 39.1km (24.3miles) northeast of Beaudet station on the Canadian National railway, 8.8km (05.5miles) northwest of fire tower which was built at the top of Mont McKinney and 20.9km (13miles) west of the course of the Jacques-Cartier River.
From its source, the course of the Métabetchouane river descends on 169.4km (105.3miles), with a drop of 600m (2,000feet), according to the following segments:
Upper course of the Métabetchouane river (from its source) (segment of 45.8km (28.5miles))
Upper course of the Métabetchouane river (downstream of Petit lac Métascouac) (segment of 53.6km (33.3miles))
Intermediate course of the Métabetchouane river (downstream of Métabetchouane lake) (segment of 31.7km (19.7miles))
Intermediate course of the Métabetchouane river (downstream of the Rivière aux Canots) (segment of 19.2km (11.9miles))
Lower course of the Métabetchouane river (segment of 19.1km (11.9miles))
At its mouth on the south shore of lac Saint-Jean, the Métabetchouane river forms a small lake, between the village of Chambord to the west and Desbiens to the east.
From the mouth of the Métabetchouane river on the south shore of lac Saint-Jean, the current crosses the latter on 22.8km (14.2miles) towards the northeast, then follows the course of the Saguenay River via La Petite Décharge on 172.3km (107.1miles) until Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence estuary.[2]
Its name is of Innu origin, but cognates exist in other Cree and Anishinabe dialects. From the roots matabi and djiwan (spelled matapetshuan in the modern Innu orthography), it can be translated as "river that empties into a lake".[1] [3]
The mouth of the river may have been a seasonal Innu camp for thousands of years and the river itself was used as a route between Lake Saint-Jean and the Quebec City region. Important archaeological excavations on the banks of the river led, in the 1960s, to the discovery of a site frequented by the Amerindians since approximately 5000 years. In 1647, Jean de Quen was the first European to visit the place but his report did not make mention of the river. Some two decades later in 1676, the first reference was made of this river as Metabeki8an in the second register of Tadoussac. A French trading post was erected at its mouth in 1676. That same year, Jesuits established the Saint-Charles Mission at the river's mouth. In the mid 19th century, William Price began logging along the length of the river and it was used for a long time for log driving.