La Grande River

La Grande Rivière at the Radisson, Quebec

Yellow: Original catchment area of ​​the La Grande Rivière, orange: additional basins due to diversions from other rivers

The La Grande Rivière (English La Grande River, in the Cree language: Chisasibi, translated: " The Great River " ) is a river in northwestern Quebec, Canada, which rises in the highlands of north central Quebec and around 900 km to the west flows to result in the James Bay. He is the second longest river in Quebec by the St. Lawrence River.

Originally drained the La Grande Rivière an area of ​​nearly 100,000 km ² and had a mean discharge of 1690 m³ / s Since the 1980s, the water power of the Eastmain rivers and Caniapiscau in the La Grande Rivière were diverted in the course of the expansion, whose catchment area is enlarged as a result of more than 175,000 km ². The average runoff volume doubled to more than 3400 m³ / s

Earlier, the river was known as " Fort George River." The Hudson 's Bay Company operating on the river at Big River House from 1803 to 1824 a base. 1837 a major trading post at Fort George was built on an island in the river mouth. In the early 20th century, this post was a village, as the Cree of the James Bay region gave up their nomadic lifestyle and settled. The modern Creedorf Chisasibi, Fort George in 1980 replaced, lies on the south bank of the La Grande Rivière.

The Pont Polaris off Route Transtaïga spans the river just before its confluence with the reservoir Réservoir La Grande 4

Tributaries

Major tributaries of the La Grande:

  • Rivière Kanaaupscow
  • Rivière Sakami Rivière Eastmain (reconciliation )
  • Rivière Opinaca (reconciliation )
  • Rivière Rupert ( since November 2009 partly reconciliation)
  • Rivière de la Corvette
  • Rivière Caniapiscau (reconciliation )

Hydropower

The river was built by Hydro -Québec since 1974 in Baie- James - hydropower project strongly with water turbines. An area of 9,900 km ² was flooded with water reservoirs and almost the entire drainage of the Rivière Eastmain was diverted into the catchment area of ​​the La Grande Rivière. The following hydro power plants are located on the La Grande Rivière and its tributaries in order from the mouth to the source:

  • La Grande -1 ( LG -1)
  • Robert - Bourassa
  • La Grande -2-A (LG- 2-A)
  • La Grande -3 ( LG -3)
  • La Grande -4 ( LG -4)
  • Laforge -1 ( LF-1 )
  • Laforge -2 ( LF-2 )
  • Brisay

As a result, the development of these projects, the Cree people lost about 10% of their traditional hunting and trappers areas. The organic mercury content in the fish that are one of their food, grow, because it passes through the rising water level in the food chain.

Municipality James Bay Project Brisay generating station Integrated Authority File
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