Grand River (Ontario)
Grand River in the Elora Gorge
Grand River in Cambridge
Grand River in Haldimand
The Grand River is a river in south-western Ontario, Canada.
From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before it opens on the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland in these. One of the scenic highlights of the Grand River, the waterfalls and the gorge at Elora Gorge Elora.
The Grand River is the largest river that flows entirely within the southern Ontario. The river owes its size to the unusual fact that its source relatively close lies at the base of the Bruce Peninsula and from there southward flows to Lake Erie, and not for much closer Huron or its Georgian Bay ( most rivers in Southern Ontario flow to each next lake in the Great Lakes, which is why they are usually small ).
The rural character of the Grand River and its easy access and the lack of Portage locations make it a popular canoeing river, especially the section between West Montrose and Paris. Several protected areas are in the range of the river. These are operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority.
The Grand Valley Trail extends over 266 km along the river valley of the Grand River from the town of Dundalk and Lake Erie.
The river was named by the French during the 18th century Grande Rivière. He was later renamed by John Graves Simcoe in Ouse River to the River Great Ouse in his native Lincolnshire. However, the anglicized form of the French name remained in common use.
Catchment area
The catchment area of the Grand River consists of the area, which are drained by it and its tributaries such as the Conestogo, Speed , Eramosa, Nith and Irvine. The Grand River has the largest catchment area in southern Ontario.
The Luther Marsh, a 52 km ² large wetland area on the upper Grand River, is one of the largest inland wetlands in southern Ontario and habitat for water birds such as the American bittern and black tern, and amphibians. It is an important rallying point during migration.
The catchment area covers 6200 km ². The Grand River has the status of a Canadian Heritage River.
The Grand Valley Dam, near the village of Belwood, is used to regulate the Grand River, especially in spring flood. The dam was completed in 1942 and is commonly referred to as the Shand Dam, the name of a family that has been relocated because of the dam Lake Belwood.
Waters in the catchment area
- Canagagigue Creek
- Chilligo Creek
- Conestogo River
- Eramosa River
- Laurel Creek
- McKenzie Creek
- Mill Creek
- Nith River
- Speed River
- Whiteman's Creek