La Grosse Décharge (Mars River tributary)

La Grosse Décharge is a tributary of the rivière à Mars, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Ministuk, in the Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. The course of "La Grosse Décharge" crosses the northern part of the zec Mars-Moulin.

La Grosse Décharge
La Grosse Décharge (Mars River tributary) is located in Quebec
La Grosse Décharge (Mars River tributary)
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Regional County MunicipalityLe Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality
Unorganized territoryLac-Ministuk
Physical characteristics
SourceLac de la Grosse Décharge
  locationLac-Ministuk
  coordinates48.27329°N 71.08079°W / 48.27329; -71.08079
  elevation239 m (784 ft)
MouthRivière à Mars
  location
Lac-Ministuk
  coordinates
48.27583°N 70.97388°E / 48.27583; 70.97388
  elevation
170 m (560 ft)
Length9.8 km (6.1 mi)[1]
Discharge 
  locationLac-Ministuk
Basin features
Tributaries 
  left(from the mouth) Discharge of "lac aux Bleuets", discharge of lac Hamel.
  right(from the mouth) La Petite Décharge, discharge of lac Xavier.

This small valley is served by the "Chemin de la Consol Paper" and the "Chemin des Lac des Maltais". A few other secondary forest roads serve the "La Grosse Décharge" valley, mainly for forestry and recreational tourism activities.[2]

Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second.

The surface of "La Grosse Décharge" is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally made from mid-December to mid-March.

Geography

The main neighboring watersheds of La Grosse Décharge are:

The "La Grosse Décharge" rises at the mouth of the "Lac de la Grosse Décharge" (length: 0.6 km (0.37 mi); altitude: 239 m (784 ft)). This lake has a marsh area on the east side. The mouth of this lake is located at:

  • 1.3 km (0.81 mi) northeast of the course of the rivière au Moulin;
  • 5.2 km (3.2 mi) south of the hamlet Malherbe;
  • 8.0 km (5.0 mi) south-west of the confluence of La Grosse Décharge and the Rivière à Mars;
  • 10.5 km (6.5 mi) east of the Portage-des-Roches dam, erected at the head of the Chicoutimi River;
  • 17.3 km (10.7 mi) south-east of the confluence of the rivière du Moulin and the Saguenay River in the Chicoutimi sector of the city of Saguenay.[3]

From its source, "La Grosse Décharge" flows over 9.8 km (6.1 mi) with a drop of 69 m (226 ft) entirely in the forest zone, according to the following segments:

  • 0.7 km (0.43 mi) to the west, branching north to a bend in the river;
  • 3.3 km (2.1 mi) towards the northeast, in particular by crossing the Pond of the Grosse Décharge (length: 1.1 km (0.68 mi); altitude: 187 m (614 ft)), to its mouth which corresponds to the outlet (coming from the north) of Lake Hamel;
  • 1.9 km (1.2 mi) north-east, crossing artificial lake (length: 0.8 km (0.50 mi); altitude: 182 m (597 ft)), up to a dike;
  • 1.8 km (1.1 mi) towards the north-east crossing a small lake on 0.3 km (0.19 mi), bending towards the east, until the discharge (coming from the south-west) a stream draining in particular lakes Xavier and Colard;
  • 0.24 km (0.15 mi) north-east, to the outlet of Lac aux Bleuets (coming from the west);
  • 1.3 km (0.81 mi) eastwards, to the Petite Décharge (coming from the south-west);
  • 0.6 km (0.37 mi) east almost straight, to its mouth.[3]

The Grosse Décharge pours on the west bank of the rivière à Mars. This confluence is located at:

From the confluence of "La Grosse Décharge" with the rivière à Mars, the current follows the course of the rivière à Mars on 14.5 km (9.0 mi) towards the northwest then towards the northeast, crosses the bay Ha! Ha! on 11.0 km (6.8 mi) towards the northeast, then the course of the Saguenay River on 99.5 km (61.8 mi) towards the east until Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence Estuary.[3]

Toponymy

The toponym "La Grosse Décharge" was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[4]

Notes and references

Appendices

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