Nipigon River

Nipigon River
Nipigon River viewed to the south, with Nipigon Bay in the distance
Nipigon River viewed to the south, with Nipigon Bay in the distance
Map of original Nipigon River basin, not including the diverted basin
Nipigon River is located in Ontario
Nipigon River
Location
Canada
ProvinceOntario
DistrictThunder Bay
Physical characteristics
SourceLake Nipigon
 • coordinates49°27′35″N 88°13′00″W / 49.45972°N 88.21667°W / 49.45972; -88.21667
 • elevation259 m (850 ft)
MouthNipigon Bay
 • location
Red Rock
 • coordinates
48°57′42″N 88°15′00″W / 48.96167°N 88.25000°W / 48.96167; -88.25000
 • elevation
184 m (604 ft)
Length48 km (30 mi)[1]
Basin size25,400 km2 (9,800 sq mi)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationAlexander Generating Station
 • average350 m3/s (12,000 cu ft/s)[3]
Basin features
River systemGreat Lakes Basin
WaterbodiesHelen Lake
BridgesNipigon River Bridge, CP Railway Bridge

The Nipigon River is located in Thunder Bay District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.[4] The river is about 48 km (30 mi) long[1] (or 209 kilometres (130 mi) when measured to the head of Ombabika River[2]) and 50 to 200 m (160 to 660 ft) wide[citation needed], and flows from Lake Nipigon to Nipigon Bay on Lake Superior at the community of Red Rock, dropping from an elevation of 260 to 183 m (853 to 600 ft). It is the largest tributary of Lake Superior.[5]

Since 1943, 14,360 square kilometres (5,545 sq mi) of the Ogoki River basin has been diverted to the headwaters of the Little Jackfish River, a tributary of Lake Nipigon. This diversion increases the size of the river's watershed by almost 60% to 39,760 square kilometres (15,350 sq mi), and contributes an average of about 116 cubic metres per second (4,100 cu ft/s) to the Nipigon River.[6][7] This increased flow has caused significant erosion and landslides along the river.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Lake Nipigon - lake, Ontario, Canada". www.britannica.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "The Atlas of Canada - Rivers". Natural Resources Canada. 2010-10-25. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22.
  3. ^ "ALEXANDER GS Watershed Conditions" (PDF). Ontario Power Generation. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Nipigon River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  5. ^ a b Canada's Rivers at Risk (PDF) (Report). WWF-Canada. Fall 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. ^ United States Great Lakes Basin Commission (1974). Great Lakes Basin Framework Study. [report] - Appendix. Public Information Office, Great Lakes Basin Commission. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  7. ^ "An Overview of Great Lakes Diversions". International Joint Commission. Retrieved 29 September 2021.