Kazabazua River
Encyclopedia
Kazabazua River is a tributary
of the Gatineau River
in western Quebec
, Canada
.
The river gives its name to Kazabazua
, a village
in La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality
. Derived from the Algonquin language
, the name of this river has had many spellings including "Kazaluzu", "Kasubasua", "Cazabasua", "Cazibazouis", "Cazebalzuac", and "Cajibajouis". The name is said to be derived from kachibadjiwan (kach meaning "hidden" and djiwan meaning "current")—a reflection of local topography
as the Kazabazua briefly becomes an underground river before resurfacing a few dozen metres downstream. The river then flows through rapids and passes under a natural stone bridge
.
The geography
of Kazabazua River includes calcitic
marble
containing crystals of graphite and grossular garnet. The marble has been chemically and mechanically eroded
by water from the river to form a karst
stone bridge
. The inclusion of gneiss
in the marble illustrates erosion differential.
Both this river and Picanoc River
flow directly through local towns and are used for recreational activities such as fishing
, rowing
, and swimming. Cottages and homes are along the riverbanks. The pollution
of the Gatineau, Kazabazua, and Pontiac rivers by both treated and untreated leachate
has been a recent concern and "could have devastating effects upon residents and tourism
throughout the region." One third of the local watershed
—including any toxic
effluent
that might be present—flows into the Kazabazua River system. When water levels rise, the Kazabazua and Pontiac rivers sometimes back up into Lac Shea causing pollutants that they carry end up in this lake. The Kazabuza and Picanoc rivers are among several local bodies of water in Pontiac Regional County Municipality
in which delicate aquatic and semi-aquatic animals such as wood turtle
s have been studied.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Gatineau River
Gatineau River
The Gatineau River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec...
in western Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The river gives its name to Kazabazua
Kazabazua, Quebec
Kazabazua is a village and municipality in La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The village is about halfway between Maniwaki and Hull at the intersection of Route 105 and Route 301, just west of the Gatineau River....
, a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality
La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality, Quebec
La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau is a Regional County Municipality in the Outaouais region of western Quebec, Canada. The seat is in Gracefield. It is named for its location straddling the Gatineau River north of Low. It was incorporated on January 1, 1983.It consists of two cities, fifteen...
. Derived from the Algonquin language
Algonquin language
Algonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
, the name of this river has had many spellings including "Kazaluzu", "Kasubasua", "Cazabasua", "Cazibazouis", "Cazebalzuac", and "Cajibajouis". The name is said to be derived from kachibadjiwan (kach meaning "hidden" and djiwan meaning "current")—a reflection of local topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
as the Kazabazua briefly becomes an underground river before resurfacing a few dozen metres downstream. The river then flows through rapids and passes under a natural stone bridge
Natural arch
A natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...
.
The geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
of Kazabazua River includes calcitic
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
containing crystals of graphite and grossular garnet. The marble has been chemically and mechanically eroded
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
by water from the river to form a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
stone bridge
Natural arch
A natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...
. The inclusion of gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
in the marble illustrates erosion differential.
Both this river and Picanoc River
Picanoc River
Picanoc River is small river in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It is 95 kilometer long class/grade II river, with some sections gaining class/grade III difficulty . Its headwaters originate north of Lac Dumont in Pontiac County...
flow directly through local towns and are used for recreational activities such as fishing
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, and swimming. Cottages and homes are along the riverbanks. The pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
of the Gatineau, Kazabazua, and Pontiac rivers by both treated and untreated leachate
Leachate
Leachate is any liquid that, in passing through matter, extracts solutes, suspended solids or any other component of the material through which it has passed....
has been a recent concern and "could have devastating effects upon residents and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
throughout the region." One third of the local watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
—including any toxic
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
that might be present—flows into the Kazabazua River system. When water levels rise, the Kazabazua and Pontiac rivers sometimes back up into Lac Shea causing pollutants that they carry end up in this lake. The Kazabuza and Picanoc rivers are among several local bodies of water in Pontiac Regional County Municipality
Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Pontiac is a county regional municipality MRC Pontiac in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It should not be confused with the municipality of Pontiac, which is located inside the county regional municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais....
in which delicate aquatic and semi-aquatic animals such as wood turtle
Wood Turtle
The wood turtle is a turtle endemic to North America. It is in the genus Glyptemys, a designation given to only one other turtle: the bog turtle. The wood turtle reaches a carapace length of , its defining characteristic being the pyramidal pattern on its upper shell...
s have been studied.