Kipawa River
Encyclopedia
The Kipawa River is a short river in western Quebec
, Canada
. It is mostly an undeveloped river but the larger lakes have dams, fishing camps, and cottages on their shores. The communities of Kipawa
and Laniel
are located on Lake Kipawa. Also much logging
takes place within its watershed basin, which is consequently crisscrossed by many bush roads. Route 101
crosses the river at Laniel.
The Kipawa River drops 90 metres (295 ft) over the last 16 kilometres (10 mi) from Lake Kipawa to its mouth which results in many whitewater
rapid
s, making it popular with kayak
ers and canoe
ists. Since 1986, the Kipawa River Rally has been held annually over this stretch of the river.
Significant lakes along the Kipawa (in downstream order):
Significant tributaries are:
Its name is derived from the Anishnabe word "Kebaouek" meaning "at the narrows beyond which more water opens out".
from Lake Kipawa to the Ottawa River.
The first recorded whitewater run on the Kipawa was in 1971 when Jose Mediavilla and Joseph Jacob from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
, paddled downstream using an open canoe. Mediavilla continued to run it over the years, and by 1976 he was using the river for the practice portion of his whitewater certification courses, sanctioned by the provincial whitewater organization.
The Kipawa River has been the site of the Kipawa River Rally since 1985. The dates have more or less coincided with the St. Jean-Baptiste Holiday in Quebec. It is the second longest running recreational paddling festival in northeastern North America.
In 2007, the Laniel Dam required rebuilding to withstand the 1 in 1000 year flood event. The existing berm was unstable and leaked. But navigation rights through the dam gates were denied from then on. Les Amis de la rivière Kipawa (Friends of the Kipawa River) mounted a Judicial Challenge, arguing that navigation of the sluice is legal, safe, and significant under the Navigable Waters Protection Act. They were overruled by the Federal Court and Federal Appeals Court. Les Amis was subsequently levied with $5,000 in court costs as a result of their challenge thereby putting a damper on other river preservationists hoping to challenge administrative decisions.
The Kipawa River is currently under threat of hydroelectric development by two competing projects which plan to divert the river and would completely alter its natural flow.
The first, proposed by Hydro-Québec
, is called TABARET and the other by Innergex on behalf of the Algonquin First Nations based at Wolf Lake. Hydro-Québec has promised hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in 'payments' to the MRC of Temiskaming in exchange for its support of the project.
The TABARET project appears favoured because the OPEMICAN NATIONAL PARK project appears to accommodated the diversion outlet at Lake Temiskaming as envisioned in the project details. The report states: "The potential Parc national d’Opémican will have no influence on the undertaking of either hydroelectric projects currently under study in the county."
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....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is mostly an undeveloped river but the larger lakes have dams, fishing camps, and cottages on their shores. The communities of Kipawa
Kipawa, Quebec
Kipawa is a village and municipality in western Quebec, Canada, in the MRC de Témiscamingue. It is located at the south end of Lake Kipawa, adjacent to the Kebaowek Reserve.-Demographics:Population trend:...
and Laniel
Laniel, Quebec
Laniel is an unorganized territory in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality, Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, Quebec, Canada. It surrounds the northern portion of Lake Kipawa....
are located on Lake Kipawa. Also much logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
takes place within its watershed basin, which is consequently crisscrossed by many bush roads. Route 101
Quebec route 101
Route 101 is a highway in northwestern Quebec running in a north to south direction.In the north the highway begins at Route 111 in Macamic and ends at Témiscaming, a town bordering with Thorne, Ontario on the Ottawa River...
crosses the river at Laniel.
The Kipawa River drops 90 metres (295 ft) over the last 16 kilometres (10 mi) from Lake Kipawa to its mouth which results in many whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
rapid
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
s, making it popular with kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ers and canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ists. Since 1986, the Kipawa River Rally has been held annually over this stretch of the river.
Significant lakes along the Kipawa (in downstream order):
- Grassy Lake (Lac aux Foins)
- Watson Lake
- Wolf Lake (Lac des Loups)
- Lac Sairs
- Grindstone Lake
- Hunter Lake
- Lake Kipawa
Significant tributaries are:
- Audoin River
- Rivière des Lacs
Its name is derived from the Anishnabe word "Kebaouek" meaning "at the narrows beyond which more water opens out".
History
The first reference to the river comes from a Catholic priest who in the early 19th century used it to travel upstream to build a mission on Lake Kipawa for Algonquin native Americans. In 1910, the Laniel Dam at the outflow of Lake Kipawa was built and has a sluice designed to float logsLog driving
Log driving is a means of log transport which makes use of a river's current to move floating tree trunks downstream to sawmills and pulp mills.It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America...
from Lake Kipawa to the Ottawa River.
The first recorded whitewater run on the Kipawa was in 1971 when Jose Mediavilla and Joseph Jacob from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
Rouyn-Noranda is a city on Osisko Lake in northwestern Quebec, Canada.The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec of the same name...
, paddled downstream using an open canoe. Mediavilla continued to run it over the years, and by 1976 he was using the river for the practice portion of his whitewater certification courses, sanctioned by the provincial whitewater organization.
The Kipawa River has been the site of the Kipawa River Rally since 1985. The dates have more or less coincided with the St. Jean-Baptiste Holiday in Quebec. It is the second longest running recreational paddling festival in northeastern North America.
In 2007, the Laniel Dam required rebuilding to withstand the 1 in 1000 year flood event. The existing berm was unstable and leaked. But navigation rights through the dam gates were denied from then on. Les Amis de la rivière Kipawa (Friends of the Kipawa River) mounted a Judicial Challenge, arguing that navigation of the sluice is legal, safe, and significant under the Navigable Waters Protection Act. They were overruled by the Federal Court and Federal Appeals Court. Les Amis was subsequently levied with $5,000 in court costs as a result of their challenge thereby putting a damper on other river preservationists hoping to challenge administrative decisions.
The Kipawa River is currently under threat of hydroelectric development by two competing projects which plan to divert the river and would completely alter its natural flow.
The first, proposed by 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....
, is called TABARET and the other by Innergex on behalf of the Algonquin First Nations based at Wolf Lake. Hydro-Québec has promised hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in 'payments' to the MRC of Temiskaming in exchange for its support of the project.
The TABARET project appears favoured because the OPEMICAN NATIONAL PARK project appears to accommodated the diversion outlet at Lake Temiskaming as envisioned in the project details. The report states: "The potential Parc national d’Opémican will have no influence on the undertaking of either hydroelectric projects currently under study in the county."