Lake Tourouvre has been artificially formed in 1950 by damming the
Saint-Maurice River
The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...
with the
La Trenche Generating Station
La Trenche Generating Station is a hydroelectric power plant on the Saint-Maurice River and within La Tuque, in Upper-Mauricie, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada. Its construction was completed in 1950. This power s ...
built at southeast of the lake, north of
La Tuque
La Tuque (; ) is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,227 at the Canada 2011 Census, most of which live within the urban area. At over 28,000 sq ...
, in the administrative region of
Mauricie
Mauricie () is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making it a prime tourist location. The region has a land area of 35,860.05 km² (13,845.64 sq mi) and a popu ...
, in
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 ...
, in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Located entirely in forest and mountainous areas, this water body of 1,448 ha is ideal for tourist activities including boating, fishing, hunting, and other similar lakeside pastimes.
Geography
Lake Tourouvre receives the waters of the
River Trenche
The Trenche River (commonly named “La Trenche” in French) flows in a southwesterly direction through two forested areas. The first is the unorganized territory of Lac-Ashuapmushuan, in the MRC Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality, a ...
through a long strait of 4 km by 0.7 km maximum width in northeast. Lake Tourouvre is 4 km wide by 8.4 km (including the Strait at the mouth of the
River Trenche
The Trenche River (commonly named “La Trenche” in French) flows in a southwesterly direction through two forested areas. The first is the unorganized territory of Lac-Ashuapmushuan, in the MRC Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality, a ...
). The
Saint-Maurice River
The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...
flows into the lake Tourouvre by the west side.
The dam of the "
La Trenche Generating Station
La Trenche Generating Station is a hydroelectric power plant on the Saint-Maurice River and within La Tuque, in Upper-Mauricie, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada. Its construction was completed in 1950. This power s ...
" is located 11.2 km (calculated by the water) upstream of the mouth of
Vermillon River (La Tuque)
The Vermillon River (atikamekw : acopekihikan sipi) flows in the territory of La Tuque (urban agglomeration), in Upper-Mauricie, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, Canada.
Geography
After a journey of (east bound), the river ...
, 22.8 km from the dam
Beaumont generating station, and 35.2 km from the dam of the
La Tuque Generating Station. This concrete dam-gravity type has a height of 53 m and a length of 442 m. Its retained capacity is 6 million cubic meters of water measured at the outlet of Lake Tourouvre.
From the boulevard Ducharme in
La Tuque
La Tuque (; ) is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,227 at the Canada 2011 Census, most of which live within the urban area. At over 28,000 sq ...
, Lake Tourouvre can by reached by 48.7 km of road from "Rivière Croche" (Crooked River), the West rank and a forest road. The latter road crosses the
Saint-Maurice River
The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...
to the barrage of
La Trenche Generating Station
La Trenche Generating Station is a hydroelectric power plant on the Saint-Maurice River and within La Tuque, in Upper-Mauricie, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, in Canada. Its construction was completed in 1950. This power s ...
.
The hamlet "Trenche" is located near the dam Trenche on the west bank of the
Saint-Maurice River
The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...
. A forest road serves the hamlet.
Toponymy
The old names of this lake were "Beaver Lake" and "Lake Trenche".
This French toponym is derived from the town of Tourouvre, located in the
Perche
Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was bounded by four ancient territorie ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. This town was in the seventeenth century an important centers of French emigration into
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. French geographer Reclus (1830-1905) wrote that this town is "the place in Europe that contributed to the most part, the settlement of the New World". The House of French Emigration to Canada, open to the public on October 1, 2006, was established symbolically Tourouvre, France.
The name "Lake Tourouvre" was officially registered on December 5, 1968, at the Bank of place names in
Commission de toponymie du Québec
The Commission de toponymie du Québec (English: ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicize Québec's place names and their origins according ...
(Geographical Names Board of Québec).
See also
*
River Trenche
The Trenche River (commonly named “La Trenche” in French) flows in a southwesterly direction through two forested areas. The first is the unorganized territory of Lac-Ashuapmushuan, in the MRC Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality, a ...
*
Saint-Maurice River
The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...
*
La Tuque
La Tuque (; ) is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,227 at the Canada 2011 Census, most of which live within the urban area. At over 28,000 sq ...
*
Mauricie
Mauricie () is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making it a prime tourist location. The region has a land area of 35,860.05 km² (13,845.64 sq mi) and a popu ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourouvre, lake
Lakes of Mauricie
Landforms of La Tuque, Quebec