Caniapiscau Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Caniapiscau Reservoir (in French
, Réservoir de Caniapiscau) is a reservoir on the upper Caniapiscau River
in the Côte-Nord
administrative region of the Canadian province
of Quebec
. It is the largest body of water in Quebec and the second largest reservoir in Canada.
The Caniapiscau Reservoir, formed by two dams and forty-three dikes, is the largest reservoir in surface area of the James Bay Project
. As headpond, it feeds the power plants of the La Grande complex in the winter and provides up to 35% of their production. Its total catchment area is about 36800 square kilometres (14,208.6 sq mi).
The reservoir was named after Lake Caniapiscau that was flooded during the formation of the reservoir. The name comes from the Cree
or Innu
term kaniapiskau or kaneapiskak which means "rocky point" or "place where there is a rocky point". Albert Peter Low
had noted in 1895 that "a high rocky headland jutts into the lake." He probably referred to the northwest facing peninsula that gives the reservoir the shape of an arc as we current know it.
The Caniapiscau Reservoir is accessible by bush plane
and, since 1981, by a gravel road from James Bay (the Trans-Taiga Road). At the very end of this road, near the Duplanter spillway, is the former worksite of the Société d'énergie de la Baie-James, named Caniapiscau
. There is no permanent human habitation at the reservoir, but it is used by outfitter
s for seasonal hunting and fishing expeditions and by some Cree
for subsistence fishing and trapping. It is isolated from society and there are very few gas stations or other services nearby.
s left Quebec after having scoured the Canadian Shield
for ninety thousand years. The prototype of these lakes was an ice dam
lake that drained southwards into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
at a time when areas further north (Nunavik
) were still glaciated. As post-glacial rebound
elevated the southern part of the Canadian Shield more rapidly than the north, the region began to drain northward into the Caniapiscau River, a tributary of the Koksoak River
, and ultimately into Ungava Bay
.
Prior to impoundment, Lake Caniapiscau covered about 470 square kilometres (181.5 sq mi) and was frequented by hunters and fur traders in the 19th century. In 1834, the Hudson's Bay Company
opened there an outpost to link its facilities in the James Bay
region with those of Ungava Bay
, but closed the Kaniapiskau Post in 1870.
In 1981, Societe d'Energie de la Baie James (now a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec
) began construction on the Caniapiscau Reservoir, designed to feed the hydro-electric
generating stations of the James Bay Project
. Over the next three years while being filled, it flooded numerous lakes such as Lakes Caniapiscau, Delorme, Brisay, Tournon, and Vermouille. It now fills a depression in the highest part of the Laurentian Plateau of the Canadian Shield, covering 4318 square kilometres (1,667.2 sq mi), or about four times the size of the natural lakes prior to impoundment.
Since August 1985, the Caniapiscau River was partially diverted to the west into the Laforge River of the La Grande River
watershed, flowing west to James Bay
.
. The area surrounding the reservoir is vegetated entirely with taiga
, or boreal forest, characterized by widely spaced Black Spruce with a thick underlayer of yellow-grey lichen
and interspersed with muskeg
and bogs. In the more moist areas, some closed coniferous forest stands may appear. On the more exposed land, a forest-tundra transition zone occurs where the woodland is replaced by lichen dominated tundra
.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Réservoir de Caniapiscau) is a reservoir on the upper Caniapiscau River
Caniapiscau River
The Caniapiscau River is a tributary of the Koksoak River in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. In Cree the name of the river means rocky point.Starting from Lac Sevestre on the Canadian Shield, the Caniapiscau River flows northward through a wide, timbered glacial valley until it makes a sharp turn at its...
in the Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
administrative region of the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. It is the largest body of water in Quebec and the second largest reservoir in Canada.
The Caniapiscau Reservoir, formed by two dams and forty-three dikes, is the largest reservoir in surface area of the James Bay Project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
. As headpond, it feeds the power plants of the La Grande complex in the winter and provides up to 35% of their production. Its total catchment area is about 36800 square kilometres (14,208.6 sq mi).
The reservoir was named after Lake Caniapiscau that was flooded during the formation of the reservoir. The name comes from the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
or Innu
Innu
The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...
term kaniapiskau or kaneapiskak which means "rocky point" or "place where there is a rocky point". Albert Peter Low
Albert Peter Low
Albert Peter Low was a Canadian geologist, explorer and athlete. His explorations of 1893–1895 were important in declaring Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic, and eventually defining the border between Quebec and Labrador....
had noted in 1895 that "a high rocky headland jutts into the lake." He probably referred to the northwest facing peninsula that gives the reservoir the shape of an arc as we current know it.
The Caniapiscau Reservoir is accessible by bush plane
Bush plane
A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft serving remote, undeveloped areas of a country, usually the African bush, Alaskan and Canadian tundra or the Australian Outback...
and, since 1981, by a gravel road from James Bay (the Trans-Taiga Road). At the very end of this road, near the Duplanter spillway, is the former worksite of the Société d'énergie de la Baie-James, named Caniapiscau
Caniapiscau, Quebec
Caniapiscau is a vast unorganized territory in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, part of Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality.The territory is home to the huge Caniapiscau Reservoir, the largest body of water in Quebec. The reservoir was named after Lake Caniapiscau that was flooded in...
. There is no permanent human habitation at the reservoir, but it is used by outfitter
Outfitter
An outfitter is a shop or person that sells men's clothes . More specifically, it is a company or individual who provides or deals in equipment and supplies for the pursuit of certain activities. The term is most closely associated with outdoor activities such as rafting, hunting, fishing,...
s for seasonal hunting and fishing expeditions and by some Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
for subsistence fishing and trapping. It is isolated from society and there are very few gas stations or other services nearby.
History
The natural lakes of the region were formed about nine thousand years ago as glacierGlacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s left Quebec after having scoured the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
for ninety thousand years. The prototype of these lakes was an ice dam
Ice dam
An ice dam occurs when water builds up behind a blockage of ice. Ice dams can occur in various ways.-Caused by a glacier:Sometimes a glacier flows down a valley to a confluence where the other branch carries an unfrozen river...
lake that drained southwards into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
at a time when areas further north (Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
) were still glaciated. As post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound is the rise of land masses that were depressed by the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, through a process known as isostasy...
elevated the southern part of the Canadian Shield more rapidly than the north, the region began to drain northward into the Caniapiscau River, a tributary of the Koksoak River
Koksoak River
The Koksoak River is a river in northern Quebec, Canada, the largest river in the Nunavik region. The Inuit village and region's administrative center Kuujjuaq lies on the shores of the Koksoak, about south from its mouth.The name Koksoak is believed to originate from Moravian missionaries who...
, and ultimately into Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
.
Prior to impoundment, Lake Caniapiscau covered about 470 square kilometres (181.5 sq mi) and was frequented by hunters and fur traders in the 19th century. In 1834, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
opened there an outpost to link its facilities in the James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
region with those of Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
, but closed the Kaniapiskau Post in 1870.
In 1981, Societe d'Energie de la Baie James (now a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
) began construction on the Caniapiscau Reservoir, designed to feed the hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
generating stations of the James Bay Project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
. Over the next three years while being filled, it flooded numerous lakes such as Lakes Caniapiscau, Delorme, Brisay, Tournon, and Vermouille. It now fills a depression in the highest part of the Laurentian Plateau of the Canadian Shield, covering 4318 square kilometres (1,667.2 sq mi), or about four times the size of the natural lakes prior to impoundment.
Since August 1985, the Caniapiscau River was partially diverted to the west into the Laforge River of the La Grande River
La Grande River
La Grande River is a river in northwestern Quebec, Canada, which rises in the highlands of north central Quebec and flows roughly west to drain into James Bay. It is the second largest river in Quebec, surpassed only by the Saint Lawrence River....
watershed, flowing west to James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
.
Fauna
The Caniapiscau Reservoir is in the zone of discontinuous permafrostPermafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
. The area surrounding the reservoir is vegetated entirely with taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
, or boreal forest, characterized by widely spaced Black Spruce with a thick underlayer of yellow-grey lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
and interspersed with muskeg
Muskeg
Muskeg is an acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas, although it is found in other northern climates as well. Muskeg is approximately synonymous with bogland but muskeg is the standard term in Western Canada and Alaska, while 'bog' is common elsewhere. The term is of Cree origin, maskek...
and bogs. In the more moist areas, some closed coniferous forest stands may appear. On the more exposed land, a forest-tundra transition zone occurs where the woodland is replaced by lichen dominated tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
.