Lake Saint-Charles

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Lake Saint-Charles
Lac Saint-Charles.JPG
QuebecCity location map.png
Red pog.svg
Lake Saint-Charles
Location Capitale-Nationale, Quebec
Coordinates 46°56′28″N71°23′14″W / 46.94111°N 71.38722°W / 46.94111; -71.38722
Type Dam lake
Primary inflows (Sens horaire, à partir de l'embouchure) Ruisseau de la Courte Botte, ruisseau Talbot (via la Baie Charles-Talbot), décharge du Lac Delage, rivière des Hurons.
Primary outflows Saint-Charles River
Catchment area 167.7 km2 (64.7 sq mi)
Basin  countriesCanada
Max. length5.5 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Max. width1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi)
Surface area3.6 km2 (1.4 sq mi)
Max. depth16.5 m (54 ft)
Water volume14,810,000 m3 (523,000,000 cu ft)
Surface elevation150.42 m (493.5 ft)
Settlements Quebec City, Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury
References [1]

Lake Saint-Charles (French : Lac Saint-Charles) is a lake located in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It is located partially within the Quebec City borough of La Haute-Saint-Charles (section West) and partially within the united township municipality of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury (section East).

Contents

Lake Saint-Charles is the source of the Saint-Charles River. Located less than 20 minutes from downtown Quebec City, it is an important natural habitat to Quebec City area residents. Lac-Delage and the borough of Charlesbourg also administer a portion of its drainage basin.

Lac Saint-Charles is served on the east side mainly by the Grande Ligne road and on the west side by the Lac-Saint-Charles road for the needs of recreational tourism and forestry. [2]

The surface of Lake Saint-Charles is generally frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March; safe circulation on the ice is generally done from the end of December to the beginning of March.

Geography

The lac Saint-Charles. Lac Saint-Charles.JPG
The lac Saint-Charles.

The town of Quebec, by the borough of La Haute-Saint-Charles, and the united townships of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, are the municipalities bordering the lake. The Lac-Delage and the borough of Charlesbourg also administers part of its watershed.

The dam Cyrille-Delage raises the level of Lake Saint-Charles because it constitutes the reservoir for the water supply of the drinking water treatment plant in the city of Quebec. [3] Erected at the exit of the lake in 1934, it was replaced in 1948 and the lake raised again. As a result of this dam, the surrounding lowlands were submerged over widths up to 50 metres (160 ft). Today, the lake level is higher than it was originally about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). This impoundment therefore upset the physical and biological balance by modifying the morphometry of the lake, bringing a massive supply of sediment and periodically creating a significant deficit in oxygen over half of the water column. A new problem appeared at Lake Saint-Charles in the fall of 2006 when the presence of blue algae, or cyanobacteria, was detected. The causes of this phenomenon are currently being studied, but actions have already been taken to limit phosphorus supplies.

Lake Saint-Charles has good recreational tourism potential. Guided hikes in rabaska are offered to discover the lake and many people take advantage of it every year. The rental of boats (canoes, kayaks, rowboats, pedal boats) is also possible, whether for hiking or for fishing northern pike. [4] In addition, a few sites near the lake have strong archaeological potential, notably in the Charles-Talbot bay sector.

The lake is the starting point of the Linear park of the Saint-Charles and Berger rivers.

Features

The Saint-Charles Lake circa 1800 by George Heriot. Lake St. Charles near Quebec (1796 - 1806) George Heriot.jpg
The Saint-Charles Lake circa 1800 by George Heriot.
Nature reserve of Marais-du-Nord. Marais du Nord.jpg
Nature reserve of Marais-du-Nord.

Tributaries

See also

Related Research Articles

References

  1. "Le lac Saint-Charles". Association pour la protection de l’environnement du lac Saint-Charles et des Marais du Nord (APEL). Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  2. Open Street Map - Accessed on February 15, 2020
  3. Town hall of the city of Québec (2008). "Eau" (in French). Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2018..
  4. "nautical Club of Saint-Charles Lake". Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2020-02-15.