Coulonge River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Coulonge River | |
|---|---|
 Coulonge River near Pont Davidson | |
  | |
| Native name | Rivière Coulonge (French) |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| State | Quebec |
| Region | Outaouais |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lac au Barrage |
| • location | Lac-Pythonga, Quebec |
| • coordinates | 47°12′30″N 76°53′30″W / 47.20833°N 76.89167°W |
| • elevation | 359 m (1,178 ft) |
| Mouth | Ottawa River |
• location | Fort-Coulonge, Quebec |
• coordinates | 45°51′44″N 76°45′54″W / 45.86222°N 76.76500°W |
• elevation | 105 m (344 ft) |
| Length | 240 km (150 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 5,060 km2 (1,950 sq mi)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 74.1 m3/s (2,620 cu ft/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 25.1 m3/s (890 cu ft/s)[3] |
| • maximum | 195 m3/s (6,900 cu ft/s)[3] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Ottawa River→ St. Lawrence River→ Gulf of St. Lawrence |
| River system | Ottawa River drainage basin |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | East Coulonge River |
The Coulonge River (English: /kuːˈlɒndʒ/;[4] French: [kulɔ̃ʒ]) is a predominantly wilderness river in western Quebec, Canada.[5]
A popular river for whitewater canoeing enthusiasts, it is often grouped together with the Dumoine and Noire Rivers as three of a kind. The three rivers share the same watershed, and have similar whitewater characteristics.[6] All three empty into the Ottawa River within a distance of 105 kilometers (65 mi) from one another.
One of a dozen or so significant tributaries of the Ottawa River, the Coulonge River has a length of 240 kilometres (150 mi)[1] and a drainage area of 5,060 square kilometres (1,950 sq mi),[2] and runs in a general south-eastern direction from its headwaters in Lac au Barrage (situated in La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve) to the Ottawa River at Fort-Coulonge. Over that distance, it drops approximately 260 meters (850 ft). The massive Grandes or Coulonge Chutes, with a height of 48 meters (157 ft), is approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) upstream of the confluence with the Ottawa River.
The historic Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge crosses the Coulonge River near Fort-Coulonge. Constructed in 1898, this 148.66 metres (487.7 ft) long bridge is the longest covered bridge in Quebec.[7][8]
Over the period 1926 to 1993, the Coulonge River had a mean flow of 74.1 cubic metres per second (2,620 cu ft/s). Mean minimal flow was 25.1 cubic metres per second (890 cu ft/s) and mean maximum flow was 195 cubic metres per second (6,900 cu ft/s). Record maximum flow was 410 cubic metres per second (14,000 cu ft/s) in May 1947, while record minimum flow was 9.58 cubic metres per second (338 cu ft/s) in October 1948.[3]
