La Loutre Dam

Last updated

The La Loutre dam (in French: Barrage La Loutre) is a river infrastructure downstream from the Gouin Dam. This dam is the second on the Saint-Maurice River from the source (Gouin Reservoir). It is located in the city of La Tuque, in Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

Contents

Geography

An island 0.2 kilometres (0.12 mi) in diameter separates the two sections of the La Loutre dam.

The main hydrographic slopes near the La Loutre dam are:

The right-hand hose reel of the La Loutre dam is located at:

Infrastructure

The La Loutre dam has two weirs: the one on the right (to the south) and the one on the left (to the north). The forest road crosses at the top of each of the two reels.

CharacteristicsLeft damRight dam
Height6.54.4
Holding capacity2,827,440 m3900,000 m3
Height of the restraint4 m3.2 m
Length of the book135 m50.1 m
Type of damEarthConcrete-gravity
Type of landAlluviumRoc
ClassEE
Consequence levelMinimalMinimal
Tank area142.7 ha142.7 ha
Pushback length4200 m4000 m
Average width287,500 m339.7 m
Year of construction19301918

[2] [3]

History

The project to harness the Saint-Maurice River at Rapides La Loutre became possible thanks to the construction of the second Transcontinental railway line which follows the course of the Saint-Maurice River between La Tuque and Wemotaci, except in the segment between the mouth of the Vermillon River (La Tuque) and the hamlet of Mactavish hamlet on the Reservoir Blanc where the railway line cuts short while the Saint-Maurice River makes a big curve towards the North-East. This line arrived at La Tuque in 1908 and Weymontachie in 1910.

Initially the Fraser Brace Company (of Berlin, New Hampshire, U.S. which will take the name of Brown Corporation in Canada) in charge of the construction works had planned to establish the center of construction operations of the La Loutre dam at Weymontachie on the north shore of the Saint-Maurice River; however, the Hudson's Bay Company refused access to their land citing the risk to the fur herds. Consequently, the general construction contractor set up his site operations center on the south shore of the Saint-Maurice by founding the forest village of "Sanmaur" in 1914. A wharf was built downstream of the Chaudière rapid. Boats were providing supplies between Sanmaur and the rapid Chaudière. [4] A dike was then built between Sanmaur and Weymontachie in order to raise the water level upstream, facilitating the transport by boats and barges of workers, machinery and equipment.

In addition, a section (the "RR track") has been built over the last 35 kilometres (22 mi) leading to the construction site, either from the "Rapides de la Chaudière" where the Saint-Maurice River forms a loop towards east downstream of the mouth of the Petit Rocher River (La Tuque).

Before the construction of the La Loutre dam, the Saint-Maurice River originated at Du Mâle Lake (Gouin Reservoir). Downstream from this source, the former site of the Atikamekw village of Obedjiwan was swallowed up and moved higher up. [5]

Toponymy

This toponym originates from the Rapides La Loutre which the dam flooded.

The toponym "La Loutre dam" was formalized on June 6, 1973, at the Commission de toponymie du Québec. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Maurice River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The Saint-Maurice River flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. From its source at Gouin Reservoir, located at the same latitude as the Lac Saint-Jean, the river has a total drop of about 405 metres (1,329 ft), to finally reach the St. Lawrence river at Trois-Rivières. The river is 563 km long and has a drainage basin of 43,300 square kilometres (16,700 sq mi). Saint-Maurice River is one of the most important tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.

Sanmaur is a village in the Haute-Mauricie, in La Tuque, in Québec, Canada. Sanmaur was incorporated into the city of La Tuque in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atimokateiw River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The Atimokateiw River is a tributary of the south shore of the Gouin Reservoir, flowing into the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the area of Mauricie, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toussaint River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The Toussaint River is a tributary of the north shore of the Gouin Reservoir, flowing in Quebec, in Canada in the administrative region of:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Pierre River</span> Tributary of Jean-Pierre Bay in Quebec, Canada

The Jean-Pierre River is a tributary of the Jean-Pierre Bay, on the south shore of the Gouin Reservoir, flowing into the territory of the town of La Tuque, into the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leblanc River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The Leblanc River is a tributary of the De La Galette River, flowing on the south shore of the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the Mauricie administrative region, in Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De La Galette River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The De La Galette River is a tributary of the southern shore of Gouin Reservoir, flowing into the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of the Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kikendatch Bay</span> Freshwater body of water in La Tuque, Quebec

The Kikendatch Bay is a freshwater body that leads to the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of La Tuque, in Haute-Mauricie, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemio River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The Nemio River is a tributary of the south shore of the Gouin Reservoir, flowing in the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oskélanéo River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

The Oskélanéo River is a tributary of the South Bay of Bureau Lake, flowing into the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada.

The Plamondon Creek is a tributary of the Plamondon Bay located in the western part of the Gouin Reservoir. This stream runs entirely in forest zone in the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Du Mâle Lake (Gouin Reservoir)</span> Lake of dam in La Tuque

The Male Lake is a freshwater body located in the western part of the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of the Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourgeois Lake</span> Lake of dam in La Tuque

The Bourgeois Lake is a freshwater body located in the north central part of the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of the Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thibodeau Bay</span> Lake of dam in La Tuque

Thibodeau Bay is a freshwater body located in the north central part of the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of the Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simard Lake (Gouin Reservoir)</span> Lake of reservoir in La Tuque

The Simard Lake is a freshwater body located in the northwestern part of Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piciw Minikanan Bay</span> Lake of dam in La Tuque

Piciw Minikanan Bay is a body of freshwater located in the western part of Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative area of the Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller Lake (Gouin Reservoir)</span> Lake of dam in La Tuque

Miller Lake is a body of freshwater located in the western part of the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of the Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Du Poète Lake</span> Lake of dam in La Tuque

Du Poète Lake is a freshwater lake that has become the "Du Poète Reservoir", located west of the Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the city of La Tuque, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. This lake extends entirely in the canton of Poisson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gouin Dam</span> Dam on Gouin Reservoir, Quebec, Canada

The Gouin dam is a river infrastructure that created the Gouin Reservoir. This dam is the source of the Saint-Maurice River and is located in the town of La Tuque, in Mauricie, in province Quebec, in Canada.

The Lake Marmette is a freshwater body located in the Center-North part of Gouin Reservoir, in the territory of the town of La Tuque, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in province of Quebec, in Canada.

References

48°20′17″N74°3′20″W / 48.33806°N 74.05556°W / 48.33806; -74.05556