The Seine River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in Kenora

Kenora District, Ontario

Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1907 from parts of Rainy River District. It is, geographically, the largest division in that province; at 407,192.66 km2 it comprises almost 38 percent of the province's land area...

, Rainy River

Rainy River District, Ontario

Rainy River District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1885. It is the only division in Ontario that lies completely in the Central time zone. Its seat is Fort Frances...

 and Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay District

Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay....

 Districts in northwestern

Northwestern Ontario

Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...

 Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, 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 flows 240 kilometres (149 mi) from Lac des Mille Lacs to Rainy Lake

Rainy Lake

Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater lake that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S...

.

The river was an important route in the days of the fur trade

Fur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...

. Gold was discovered along the river near the end of the 19th century and several mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 operations established in the area. In 1943, a section of the river was diverted near Steep Rock Lake to gain access to a large iron ore deposit under the lake. That mine has since been closed. The river is used for recreational canoe

Canoe

A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

ing and kayak

Kayak

A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...

ing.

Upper Reaches

The river flows west out of the northwest arm of Lac des Mille Lacs in Thunder Bay District over the Lac des Mille Lacs Dam, owned by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)

The Ministry of Natural Resources is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that responsible for Ontario’s provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province...

 (OMNR) and operated by the Valerie Falls Limited Partnership (Brookfield Renewable Power) (See Lac des Mille Lacs Dam). It flows through Mosher lake, takes in the left tributary Firesteel River

Firesteel River (Ontario)

The Firesteel River is a river in Thunder Bay District, northwestern Ontario, Canada. It flows from Trap Lake, east of the Canadian National Railway location of George and north of the community of Upsala, southwest under the Canadian National Railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline and...

 and briefly flows through the southeast corner of Kenora District. The river turns southwest into Rainy River District, heads over the Long Rapids and Camp Six Rapids, takes in the left tributary Mercutio River, tumbles over the Islands Falls, reaches Bradshaw Lake and flows into the Marmion Lake and reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

, where it takes in four right tributaries.

Lower Reaches

Below Steeprock Lake, the river takes in the major left tributary Atikokan River and the minor left tributary Caribus Creek, then takes in the outflow from the Seine River Diversion on the right. It flows west over the Boyce Rapids, takes in the right tributary Eye River, passes through the Chubb Narrows and Banning Narrows, and reaches Calm Lake. The lake is controlled at the west end by the Calm Lake Dam and generating station (10 MW), built in 1926 and operated today by Abitibi-Consolidated Hydro

AbitibiBowater

Resolute Forest Products , formerly known as AbitibiBowater Inc. is a pulp and paper manufacturer headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed by the merger of Bowater and Abitibi-Consolidated, which was announced 29 January 2007...

. The river heads out of the lake southwest over the Manitou Rapids into Fin Bay on Laseine Lake. This lake is controlled at the west end by the Sturgeon Falls Dam and generating station (8 MW), also built in 1926 and also operated today by Abitibi-Consolidated Hydro.

The river heads west, is crossed by Ontario Highway 11, passes the community of Seine River Village (post office established in 1895 on the right bank, and reaches its mouth at Seine Bay on Rainy Lake.

Tributaries

• Albertson Creek (right)
• McLeod Creek (right)
• Suckers Creek (left)
• Swamp Creek (left)
• Laseine Lake
  • Price Creek (left)
  • Mills Creek (left)
• Calm Lake
  • Little Joe Creek (right)
  • Niven Creek (right)
• McCaulay Creek (left)
• Arnold Creek (right)
• Jackfish Creek (left)
• Eye River (right)
• Caribus Creek (left)
• Atikokan River (left)
• Hardtack Creek (right)
• Marmion Lake
  • Sawbill Creek (right)
  • Lumby Creek (right)
  • Light Creek (right)
  • Caribou River (right)
• Mercutio River (left)
• Firesteel River (right)