The Canal de l'Aqueduc is an open-air aqueduct

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

on the

Island of Montreal The Island of Montreal (, ) is an island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of Montreal, and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the Hochelag ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada, serving part of the

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

needs of the city of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. The canal was built in 1853 by a commission headed by City Councillor Edwin Atwater.Commission de toponymie du Québec - Canal de l'Aqueduc
/ref> The adjacent Atwater Avenue is named after him. The canal draws water from the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

on the southernmost shore of the island in the borough of LaSalle, in the

Lachine Rapids The Lachine Rapids () are a series of rapids on the Saint Lawrence River, between the Island of Montreal and the South Shore. They are confusingly located near the borough of Lasalle and not Lachine. The Lachine Rapids contain large standi ...

downstream of the Honoré Mercier Bridge. It then runs northeasterly, through LaSalle and then between the boroughs of

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

and

Le Sud-Ouest Le Sud-Ouest (, ) is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Le Sud-Ouest is an amalgam of several neighbourhoods with highly distinct histories and identities, mainly with working-cla ...

, finally ending at a City of Montreal pumping station and underground reservoir on av. Atwater just south of the Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood. At this point the canal passes within 300 metres of the

Lachine Canal The Lachine Canal (, ) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres (9 miles) from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine (borough), L ...

. The canal is approximately 8100 metres in length and varies between 35 and 50 metres in width (approximate). The canal is lined with wetland along its route, and although the canal itself is fenced off, a linear park and bicycle path runs along its southern bank. Boul. de La Vérendrye and Boul. Champlain, major streets, run along its northern and southern banks respectively, with the Autoroute 15 running along the end nearest the pumping station.

Crossings

The canal is crossed by a number of bridges, listed here in order from the river to the pumping station: Canal de L Aqueduc 02

*Boul. LaSalle *Avenue Dollard *Knox Bridge (Boul. Bishop-Power/Boul. Shevchenko) *Passerelle Lapierre (2e Ave) *Rue Crawford (footbridge) *Claude-Brunet Bridge (footbridge in front of Parc Angrignon) *Av. Stephens *Av. Woodland *Jolicoeur Bridge (rue Jolicoeur) *Rue Galt *Av. de l'Église

References

Aqueducts in Canada Canals in Quebec Geography of Montreal Parks in Montreal Saint Lawrence River Bike paths in Quebec LaSalle, Quebec Buildings and structures in Verdun, Quebec Le Sud-Ouest Canals opened in 1853 Transport buildings and structures in Quebec {{montreal-geo-stub