Upper Rideau Lake | |
---|---|
Location | Ontario |
Coordinates | 44°40′55″N76°20′10″W / 44.682°N 76.336°W |
Primary inflows | Westport Sand Lake |
Primary outflows | Big Rideau Lake |
Catchment area | 61 km2 (24 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. depth | 23 m (75 ft) |
Surface elevation | 124.65 m (409.0 ft) |
Settlements | Village of Westport, Village of Newboro |
Upper Rideau Lake is a freshwater lake located in the municipality of Rideau Lakes, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada. A part of the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin, the lake has the highest altitude of any body of water within the Rideau Canal system.
Upper Rideau Lake is bordered by the village of Westport to the west and Newboro to the south.
Upper Rideau Lake is the summit of the Rideau Canal system, with a surface elevation of 124 meters (408 ft) above sea level. Despite having the highest elevation, Upper Rideau Lake is not at the top of the watershed. Water flows north to the Rideau River but does not flow south to the Cataraqui River.
Inflow comes from Westport Sand Lake, part of the Rideau Lake Subwatershed, while outflow winds through the Narrows Lock and into Big Rideau Lake, which eventually flows to the Saint Lawrence River via the Ottawa River.
The Rideau Lake Fault is a normal fault which exposes granite that can be observed on much of Upper Rideau Lake's northern shore. [1] The northern half of Upper Rideau Lake is located in the Algonquin Highlands. The bedrock in the Precambrian landscape consists mostly of gneiss and marble and is covered in a very thin layer of mixed glacial sediment. The southern half of Upper Rideau Lake is located between the Algonquin Highlands and the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain. The bedrock here consists of Paleozoic quartzose sandstone, dolomite, and conglomerate covered in a variety of sediments: glacial till, silt, clay, organic deposits, and sand. [2]
Before the creation of the Rideau Canal (1826–1832), the Upper, Big, and Lower Rideau Lakes were a single body of water. It was originally intended to remain one lake when an attempt was made to excavate the naturally rocky shallows on the Upper Narrows. When this proved to be difficult and resource-consuming, Lt. Colonel John By finalized plans to build a dam and a Narrows Lock, separating the waters and forming Upper Rideau Lake. [3] The creation of Narrows Lock raised the water in the area by approximately 2.5 meters (8 ft), resulting in flooding. Drowned shorelines resulted in a number of newly created marshes and many snags.
The Water levels of the Rideau Canal system are monitored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Parks Canada. Water levels are managed for recreation, allowing for drafts during the navigation season and for residents with docks, boathouses, and shorefronts. In late May, water levels are at their maximum, gradually declining throughout the summer, reaching the lowest point in October and then to the winter operating level. During this cycle, the range of water height is approximately 1 meter (3 ft).
Upper Rideau Lake has large populations of bass and other fish, making it a popular spot for recreational fishermen. Boats and small ships frequent the lake due to its location. Many hiking trails nearby link up to separately-managed golf courses and campgrounds, and higher altitudes nearby are home to ski routes that melt into the lake and nearby bodies of water in early spring. In 2015, the lake's Newboro Lock Station recorded 5,355 vessel passages, while Narrows Lock Station reported 6,208. [4]
The Foley Mountain Conservation Area, located on the banks of the lake near Westport, is a small park containing 5.5 miles (9 km) of hiking trails. Educational programs are available on-site for tourists, and focus on the lake's history and biology.
Upper Rideau Lake is situated within Fisheries Management Zone 18. Licenses, open seasons, and catch limits are governed by the Ontario Fishing Regulations. [5]
The Rideau Canal Lock stations operate from mid-May through mid-October each year. Lockage and mooring fees are charged based on vessel length (per foot). [6]
Upper Rideau Lake is home to a variety of bass. The newly flooded surroundings resulting from the canal's creation allowed bass populations to thrive. [7] [5] [6] In addition to the abundance of largemouth and smallmouth bass, species of fish in Upper Rideau Lake include sunfish, bluegill, rock bass, black crappie, yellow perch, northern pike, walleye, and lake trout. [8] Ministry of Natural Resources fisheries specialists have reported that the aquatic habitat is stable for warm-water fish. As the lake's pH conditions are within range for a healthy environment. Fishery quotas have remained unstable, with the exception of the yellow perch quota, which was last increased in 2013.
Upper Rideau Lake is home to a variety of wildlife species. Commonly observed birds include the common loon, great blue heron, green heron, osprey, turkey vulture, pileated woodpecker, Canada goose, mallard duck, common merganser, hooded merganser, ring-billed gull, and trumpeter swan. Commonly observed reptiles and amphibians include the map turtle, painted turtle, snapping turtle, northern leopard frog, American bullfrog, garter snake, northern water snake, and eastern ratsnake. The most commonly observed mammals include squirrels, chipmunks, coyotes, foxes, porcupines, skunks, beavers, otters, muskrats, mink, raccoons, and white-tailed deer. [9]
Upper Rideau Lake is home to a range of endangered and at-risk species. Endangered species include the loggerhead shrike and spotted turtle. Threatened species include the golden-winged warbler, least bittern, peregrine falcon, chimney swift, red-headed woodpecker, grey fox, Blanding's turtle, musk turtle, and black rat snake. Special concern species include the cerulean warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, short-eared owl, yellow rail, red-shouldered hawk, southern flying squirrel, five-lined skink, map turtle, snapping turtle, Eastern milk snake, and ribbon snake. [7] [ not specific enough to verify ]
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority rated the water quality of Upper Rideau Lake as poor in its 2014 Watershed Report (data collected from 2005 to 2014). Contributing factors to these ratings include elevated nutrient concentrations, periods of reduced oxygen availability, clear water, and occasionally elevated pH levels. High nutrient concentrations are part of the natural aging process of a lake. In this case, aging may be accelerated due to a high runoff of nutrients from residential shoreline areas, as well as areas of drowned land resulting from the construction of the Rideau Canal. High nutrient concentrations have enabled the excessive growth of aquatic plants and algae blooms.
In April 2014, The Village of Westport dumped 24 million liters (63 million gallons) of untreated sewage into Upper Rideau Lake following a roughly 3-year-long collapse of their sewage treatment system. With a sewage lagoon ready to burst, millions of liters were shipped away for treatment, while two emergency discharges of over 12 million liters (31 million gallons) went directly into the lake, fueling blue-green algae growth. Before 1996, the Village of Westport had no treatment plan in place and would dump untreated sewage twice annually into the lake. [10] In 2018, the Village of Westport completed a Large Subsurface Disposal System (LSSDS) costing roughly $3,000,000 to treat the sewage. As of March 2019, there have been no discharges for the past 12 months. [11]
In August 2014, toxins were confirmed to be present in blue-green algae blooms. Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit issued a public health notice warning not to drink the lake water or allow pets or livestock to do so. [12] This outbreak can be attributed to the sewage dump, erosion, high spring runoff, and changes in the zebra mussel population among other causes. [13]
Plans for the management, protection, and sustainability of the Rideau Canal, including Upper Rideau Lake, are:
Organizations that serve to ensure the long-term wellness of the lake are:
North Burgess Solar Project, owned by Northland Power, is located North of Upper Rideau Lake on Highway 14. This green energy facility is a 10 MW ground-mounted photovoltaic solar project operating 40,000-50,000 solar panels and 30 DC to AC inverters. It is estimated to power approximately 2,000 Ontario homes. [14]
The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres upstream along the Rideau River to the Rideau Lakes, and from there drop 50 metres downstream along the Cataraqui River to Kingston.
The Cataraqui River forms the lower portion of the Rideau Canal and drains into Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario. The name is taken from the original name for Kingston, Ontario; its exact meaning, however, is undetermined. Early maps showed several name variations including the Great Cataraqui River and Grand River Cataraquay. The river was once called Riviere de Frontenac, or Frontenac River. The alternate spelling "Cadaraqui" also appears in some historic texts.
Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century, the lake was called Ouentironk by the native Wendat/Ouendat (Huron) people. It was also known as Lake Taronto until it was renamed by John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, in memory of his father, Captain John Simcoe of the Royal Navy. In Anishinaabemowin, the historical language of the First Nations living around this lake, namely Anishinaabek of Rama and Georgina Island First Nations, the lake is called Zhooniyaang-zaaga'igan, meaning "Silver Lake".
The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, commonly known as Leeds and Grenville, is a county in Ontario, Canada, in the Eastern Ontario subregion of Southern Ontario. It fronts on the Saint Lawrence River and the international boundary between Canada and the United States, opposite of the State of New York. The county seat is Brockville. The county was formed by the union of the historical counties of Leeds and Grenville in 1850.
Westport is a village in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It lies at the west end of Upper Rideau Lake, at the head of the navigable Rideau Canal system, 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Ottawa.
Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, which was first settled in 1816 and was known as a social and political capital before being over shadowed by what we now know as Ottawa.
The Gananoque River is a river in Leeds and Grenville United Counties in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The river is in the Atlantic Ocean drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Saint Lawrence River.
Leeds County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The county was first surveyed in 1792 as one of the nineteen counties created by Sir John Graves Simcoe in preparation for the United Empire Loyalists to settle here. The county took its name from Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds; the "Leeds" of the Dukedom referred to Leeds in West Yorkshire, England and not for Leeds, Kent, England. In 1850, Leeds County merged with Grenville County to create the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. This county was home to several townships as well as the city of Brockville.
Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons since 1979. Prior to the 2015 election, the riding was known as Leeds—Grenville.
Cootes Paradise is a property with many boundaries, but is primarily a property of the Royal Botanical Gardens at the western end of Lake Ontario, but is also remnant of the larger 3700 acre Dundas Marsh Crown Game Preserve established by the province of Ontario in 1927., dominated by a 4.5 km long rivermouth wetland, representing the lake's western terminus. It is found on the west side of Hamilton Harbour and is located in the municipality of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise Environmentally Sensitive Area is larger "core area" within the City of Hamilton's Natural Heritage System and has a very similar boundary to the original Dundas Crown Game Preserve.
The Tay River is a river in Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Rideau River.
Benjamin Tett was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Leeds South as a Conservative member of the 1st Parliament of Ontario.
Big Rideau Lake is a lake in the municipalities of Tay Valley and Drummond/North Elmsley, Lanark County and Rideau Lakes, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The lake is on the border between the two counties, 72 kilometres (45 mi) to the southwest of Ottawa. It is 32 kilometres (20 mi) long and is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) wide, is much narrower at its northeastern end than at its southwestern end, and is part of the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin. It is the largest lake on the Rideau Canal, which was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2007.
Rideau Lakes is a township located within Leeds and Grenville United Counties in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The township was incorporated on 1 January 1998 by amalgamating the former townships of North Crosby, South Crosby, Bastard, South Burgess and South Elmsley with the village of Newboro.
Kemptville Creek is a stream in the municipalities of North Grenville and Augusta, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Ottawa River drainage basin, is a right tributary of the Rideau River, and is under the auspices of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.
Opinicon Lake is a lake in South Frontenac, Frontenac County and Rideau Lakes, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada. This shallow lake was formed when Colonel John By built the Rideau Canal. It also is part of the Great Lakes Basin.
Jones Falls Dam is a dam on the Rideau Canal located in Rideau Lakes, Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada, that was built between 1828 and 1831 to tame the mile-long series of rapids and falls that flowed from Sand Lake and into the White Fish River.
King's Highway 42, commonly referred to as Highway 42, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 52.8-kilometre (32.8 mi)-long route connected Highway 29 at Forthton with the town of Westport, intersecting Highway 15 en route. Highway 42 was assumed in 1935, and aside from paving the partially gravelled road, generally remained unchanged throughout its existence. In 1997, it was decommissioned and transferred to the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, subsequently being redesignated as Leeds and Grenville County Road 42.
Black Creek is a stream in the municipalities of Tay Valley, Lanark County and Rideau Lakes, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It flows from an unnamed lake in Rideau Lakes to the west shore of Big Rideau Lake in Tay Valley. Big Rideau Lake, on the Rideau Canal, flows via the Rideau River and Ottawa River to the Saint Lawrence River. The stream has a drainage basin of 94 square kilometres (36 sq mi).
Thomas Edmund Mooney was a Canadian chaplain who served in World War II. Mooney was the first Canadian Catholic Chaplain reported killed in action during World War II. Mooney served as Director of Music at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Islington, Ontario.