The Broadback River (french: Rivière Broadback) (In Cree: ''Chistamiskau Sipi'') is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in northern
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada. It drains into
Rupert Bay
Rupert Bay is a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay, in Canada. Although the coast is part of the province of Quebec, the waters of the bay are under jurisdiction of Nunavut Territory.
Geography
This bay has a width of 16 ...
(a smaller bay at the south end of
James Bay
James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...
), just south of the
Rupert River
The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Quebec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of .
There is some extremely la ...
and
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
Waskaganish
Waskaganish ( cr, ᐙᔅᑳᐦᐄᑲᓂᔥ/Wâskâhîkaniš, Little House; ) is a Cree community of over 2,500 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in Northern Quebec, Canada. Waskaganish is part of the ...
. The major
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
on the river's course is
Lake Evans.
The river is a popular
canoe-tripping destination.
Geography
The hydrographic basins adjacent to the Broadback River are:
*north side:
Rupert River
The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Quebec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of .
There is some extremely la ...
,
Nemiscau Lake,
Nemiscau River;
*east side:
Frotet Lake,
Troilus Lake,
La Marte River;
*south side:
Nottaway River
The Nottaway River is a river in Quebec, Canada. The river drains Lake Matagami and travels north-west before emptying into Rupert Bay at the south end of James Bay. Its drainage basin is and has a mean discharge of 1190 m³/s (1556 yd³/s). It ...
;
*west side:
Nottaway River
The Nottaway River is a river in Quebec, Canada. The river drains Lake Matagami and travels north-west before emptying into Rupert Bay at the south end of James Bay. Its drainage basin is and has a mean discharge of 1190 m³/s (1556 yd³/s). It ...
,
Rupert Bay
Rupert Bay is a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay, in Canada. Although the coast is part of the province of Quebec, the waters of the bay are under jurisdiction of Nunavut Territory.
Geography
This bay has a width of 16 ...
.
The Broadback River originates at
Frotet Lake, located west of grand
Mistassini Lake
Lake Mistassini () is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of approximately and a net area (water surface area only) of . It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, appro ...
. From the mouth of
Frotet Lake (located north of the lake), this river winds the
Jamésie
Jamésie is a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) of Nord-du-Québec, Canada.
Its geographical code is 991 and together with Kativik TE and Eeyou Istchee TE it forms the administrative région and census division (CD ...
on 451 kilometers to finally reach the
Rupert Bay
Rupert Bay is a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay, in Canada. Although the coast is part of the province of Quebec, the waters of the bay are under jurisdiction of Nunavut Territory.
Geography
This bay has a width of 16 ...
close to the mouth of the
Nottaway River
The Nottaway River is a river in Quebec, Canada. The river drains Lake Matagami and travels north-west before emptying into Rupert Bay at the south end of James Bay. Its drainage basin is and has a mean discharge of 1190 m³/s (1556 yd³/s). It ...
.
In its course, the river crosses several lakes, including: Troilus Lake, Quenonisca Lake,
Evans Lake (the largest) and Giffard Lake. It flows between the
Rupert River
The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Quebec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of .
There is some extremely la ...
rivers to the north and the
Nottaway River
The Nottaway River is a river in Quebec, Canada. The river drains Lake Matagami and travels north-west before emptying into Rupert Bay at the south end of James Bay. Its drainage basin is and has a mean discharge of 1190 m³/s (1556 yd³/s). It ...
to the south.
At the end of the route, the river crosses marsh areas for to the west.
History
The Broadback, together with the
Nottaway
The Nottoway are an Iroquoian Native American tribe in Virginia. The Nottoway spoke a Nottoway language in the Iroquoian language family.
Names
The term ''Nottoway'' may derive from ''Nadawa'' or ''Nadowessioux'' (widely translated as "poiso ...
and
Rupert Rivers, was initially considered to be dammed and diverted as part of the
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project (french: projet de la Baie-James) refers to the construction of a series of hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by state-owned utility Hydro-Québec, and the diversion of neigh ...
. However, in 1972
hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
development began on the more northerly
La Grande and
Eastmain River
The Eastmain River, formerly written East Main, is a river in west central Quebec. It rises in central Quebec and flows west to James Bay, draining an area of . The First Nations Cree village of Eastmain is located beside the mouth.
Name
Eastm ...
s, and the NBR Project was shelved. With the decision to divert the Rupert River to the La Grande, it is not likely that the Broadback will be developed in the foreseeable future.
Tributaries
Since the Broadback River flows relatively close to the northern edge of its basin, most of its major tributaries are left tributaries. Major tributaries in downstream order include:
Tributaries above Lake Evans:
*
Châtillon River
*
Assinica River
The Assinica River is a tributary of the Broadback River flowing west to Rupert Bay south of James Bay. The Assinica River flows into the municipality of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality) in the Nord-du-Québec administrative region, in ...
*
Coigne River (right tributary)
*
Nipukatasi River
The Nipukatasi River is a tributary of the Broadback River flowing west to Rupert Bay, south of James Bay. The Nipukatasi River flows in the municipality of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality), in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec ...
*
Salamandre River
Tributaries below Lake Evans:
*
Ouasouagami River
*
Colomb River
*
Kaminahikuschit River
*
Natouacamisie River
*
Machisipi River
*
Lepallier River
See also
*
Waskaganish (Cree village municipality)
Waskaganish ( cr, ᐙᔅᑳᐦᐄᑲᓂᔥ/Wâskâhîkaniš, Little House; ) is a Cree village municipality in the territory of Eeyou Istchee in northern Quebec; it has a distinct legal status and classification from other kinds of village mu ...
*
Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government
Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government (french: Gouvernement régional d’Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, cr, ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔅᒌ ᒉᐃᒥᔅ ᐯᐃ ᐊᔅᒌᐤ ᑎᐹᔨᐦᒋᒑᐎᓐ, italic=no ) is a local municipality in the (TE) in ...
References
External links
{{Authority control
Rivers of Nord-du-Québec
Tributaries of James Bay
Eeyou Istchee James Bay