Laval River
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| Laval River | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Native name | Rivière Laval (French) |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Côte-Nord |
| RCM | La Haute-Côte-Nord |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lac Septembre |
| • coordinates | 49°06′42″N 69°18′00″W / 49.1116667°N 69.3°W |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | 48°46′23″N 69°03′01″W / 48.773104°N 69.050295°W |
The Laval River (French: Rivière Laval) is a salmon river in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada.
The mouth of the Laval River is in Forestville, La Haute-Côte-Nord. Route 385 roughly follows the course of the river.[1] The Commission de toponymie du Québec does not have information about the name, which was made official on 5 December 1968.[2] A map of the ecological regions of Quebec shows the Laval River in sub-region 5g-T of the east fir/white birch subdomain.[3]
Course
The Laval River originates in Lac Septembre and flows generally southeast through Lac Roger, Lac Kinney, Lac Stanley and Lac Laval, which it enters at the southwest angle and leaves from the southeast end.[1] The 656 hectares (1,620 acres) Lac Laval, 42 kilometres (26 mi) from its mouth, is sometimes taken as the source of the river.[4] The river then flows through Lac Éric and Lac Courdeau, then enters a flat-bottomed valley where it is fed by the Adam River, receives water from Lac MacDonald and Lac Madeleine, and then enters Lac à Jacques.[1]
Below this lake, after some rapid sections, the river passes under Quebec Route 138 at Pont-Laval, near its mouth.[1] The 33 hectares (82 acres) Laval River Rare Forest (Forêt rare de la Rivière-Laval) is on the east side of the river between Lac à Jacques and Route 138. It is unusual in including red pines (Pinus resinosa), which are very rare on the Côte-Nord.[5] The river enters the Saint Lawrence in the Baie Laval just north of the community of Forestville. The Pointe Laval defines the southeast point of the bay, and the Île Laval is in the mouth of the bay.[1]
The rate of flow of the river varies considerably, from slow to fast. The bed of the river is rather dark, the waters are not very clear, and some of the pools are black. After rain the river level and color change significantly.[4]