Kaministiquia River

Kaministiquia River
Kaministiquia River watershed[1]
Kaministiquia River is located in Ontario
Kaministiquia River
Location of the mouth of the Kaministiquia River
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
RegionNorthern Ontario
DistrictThunder Bay
Physical characteristics
SourceDog Lake
 • locationOntario
 • coordinates48°41′53″N 89°38′29″W / 48.69806°N 89.64139°W / 48.69806; -89.64139
 • elevation420 m (1,380 ft)
MouthLake Superior
 • location
At the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario
 • coordinates
48°23′34″N 89°12′58″W / 48.39278°N 89.21611°W / 48.39278; -89.21611
 • elevation
183.5 m (602 ft)
Length95 km (59 mi)
Basin features
River systemGreat Lakes Basin
[2][3][4][5]

The Kaministiquia River (/ˌkæmɪˈnɪstɪkwɑː/) is a river which flows into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kaministiquia (Gaa-ministigweyaa) is an Ojibwe word meaning "where a stream flows in island" due to two large islands (McKellar and Mission) at the mouth of the river. The delta has three branches or outlets, reflected on early North American maps in French as "les trois rivières" (the three rivers): the southernmost is known as the Mission River, the central branch as the McKellar River, and the northernmost branch as the Kaministiquia. Residents of the region commonly refer to the river as the Kam River.

Water flow in the Kaministiquia River system is regulated at the Dog Lake dams 1 and 2 and at the Greenwater, Kashabowie and Shebandowan dams. Two generating stations, one at Kakabeka Falls (25 MW) and another at Silver Falls (48 MW), are operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), a public company wholly owned by Government of Ontario.[5]

  1. ^ "Watershed of 7,630 km² with outlet near 48.378, -89.243". Matthew Heberger.
  2. ^ "Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Kaministiquia River)". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "Atlas of Canada Toporama". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica (Kaministiquia River)". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Overview of the Kaministiquia River System for the PAC to the Thunder Bay RAP" (PDF). January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.