Noire River
Encyclopedia
The Noire River is a river in western Quebec
, Canada
. It runs in a south-eastern direction into the Ottawa River
at Waltham, Quebec
. It is named after the dark colour of its water (noire is French for "Black").
This river is often grouped together with the Dumoine
and Coulonge River
s as three of a kind. All three are in the same area, have similar characteristics, and are popular with whitewater
canoers
.
The Noire River springs from an unnamed location in wilderness just south of La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
. It flows through Quebec's portion of the Canadian Shield
and so, is marked by sections of rocky whitewater alternated by meander
ing sections through sand valleys. Typical trees in this area are Black Spruce
, Jack Pine
, Eastern White Pine
, Red Pine
, juniper
, alder
, and birch
. The river is undeveloped except the last 30 kilometres (18.6 mi), where cottages and even an inn line the river. Just before it flows into the Ottawa River, there is dam with a power generating station on the Noire River.
One portage
of note is the one around Mountain Chute. One has to take either a long route through arduous terrain or a shorter one that begins at the top of the falls and ends in a steep near-vertical descent requiring ropes.
A high capacity gravity concrete dam was built in 1937 and modified in 1994. The dam is 11.7 metres (38.4 ft) high, 106.4 metres (349.1 ft) long, and has a capacity of 13,800 m³ (18,050 yd³). The dam and W.R. Beatty Generating Station are near the mouth of the river at the outlet of Robinson Lake and generate 10.6 MW.
Originally owned by the Pembroke Electric Light Company and then the Pontiac Hydro Commission, it was acquired in 1996 by Brookfield Power
.
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...
. It runs in a south-eastern direction into the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
at Waltham, Quebec
Waltham, Quebec
Waltham is a village and municipality in the Outaouais region, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Noire River, along the north shore of the Ottawa River at Allumette Island....
. It is named after the dark colour of its water (noire is French for "Black").
This river is often grouped together with the Dumoine
Dumoine River
The Dumoine River is a river in western Quebec with its source in Machin Lake near La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve. From Dumoine Lake, the river flows almost due south off the Canadian Shield and empties into the Ottawa River, just west of Rapides-des-Joachims, Quebec, or Rolphton, Ontario...
and Coulonge River
Coulonge River
The Coulonge River is a predominantly wilderness river in western Quebec, Canada. It is 217 km long, has a drainage area of 5060 km² , and runs in a general south-eastern direction from its headwaters in Lac au Barrage to the Ottawa River at Fort-Coulonge, Quebec...
s as three of a kind. All three are in the same area, have similar characteristics, and are popular with whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
canoers
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
.
The Noire River springs from an unnamed location in wilderness just south of La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
La Vérendrye wildlife reserve is one of the largest reserves in the province of Quebec, Canada, covering 12,589 square kilometres of contiguous land and lake area . It is named after Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, a French-Canadian explorer...
. It flows through Quebec's portion of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
and so, is marked by sections of rocky whitewater alternated by meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
ing sections through sand valleys. Typical trees in this area are Black Spruce
Black Spruce
Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia...
, Jack Pine
Jack Pine
Jack pine is a North American pine with its native range in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains from Northwest Territories to Nova Scotia, and the northeast of the United States from Minnesota to Maine, with the southernmost part of the range just into northwest Indiana...
, Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, Red Pine
Red Pine
Pinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...
, juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
. The river is undeveloped except the last 30 kilometres (18.6 mi), where cottages and even an inn line the river. Just before it flows into the Ottawa River, there is dam with a power generating station on the Noire River.
Paddling the Noire River
The Noire River is not navigable until the confluence with Coughlin Creek, about 237 kilometres (147.3 mi) from its end. From here, the rapids that can be run are mostly Class 1 or 2 (based on medium water levels). Notable rapids on the Noire are:- km 114, "The Wall" - technical Class 2.
- km 100, "Targie" - Class 3 to 2.
- km 51, "50-50" - Class 3.
- km 40 to 30 - continuous Class 1 and swifts (except low water)
One portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
of note is the one around Mountain Chute. One has to take either a long route through arduous terrain or a shorter one that begins at the top of the falls and ends in a steep near-vertical descent requiring ropes.
Hydroelectric station and dam
The river has been used for hydroelectric power generation since the beginning of the 20th century and is reputedly the first commercial station in Canada.A high capacity gravity concrete dam was built in 1937 and modified in 1994. The dam is 11.7 metres (38.4 ft) high, 106.4 metres (349.1 ft) long, and has a capacity of 13,800 m³ (18,050 yd³). The dam and W.R. Beatty Generating Station are near the mouth of the river at the outlet of Robinson Lake and generate 10.6 MW.
Originally owned by the Pembroke Electric Light Company and then the Pontiac Hydro Commission, it was acquired in 1996 by Brookfield Power
Brookfield Asset Management
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a Toronto, Ontario-based asset management company that manages a global portfolio of assets valued at over $150 billion...
.