White River (Ontario)

The White River (French: rivière White) is a tributary of Lake Superior in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada.[2] It starts at Negwazu Lake and flows in a predominantly western direction to Lake Superior, passing through the Township of White River.

For the township named after this river, see White River, Ontario.
White River
White River (Ontario) is located in Ontario
White River (Ontario)
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
DistrictsAlgoma, Thunder Bay
Physical characteristics
SourceNegwazu Lake
 • locationUnorg. North Algoma
 • coordinates48°28′22″N 85°02′47″W
 • elevation415 m (1,363 ft)[1]
MouthLake Superior
 • location
Pukaskwa National Park, Thunder Bay District
 • coordinates
48°32′49″N 86°16′6″W
 • elevation
183 m (600 ft)

The White River has many stretches of whitewater and four waterfalls with some difficult portages, making the river suitable for advanced canoeists. The lower part of the river has occasional oxbows and meanders.[3] Among its tributaries are the Bremner,[4] Depew,[5] and Oskabukuta Rivers.[6] The river contains a diversity of fish species, including healthy walleye populations.[3]

Provincial parks

Several sections of the river are protected in parks and reserves. The Pokei Lake/White River Wetlands Provincial Park is about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of the town of White River. This 1,768 hectares (4,370 acres) non-operating park includes a very large inland riparian wetland system of various types, that form flood plains along roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of the White River.[7]

Directly south of the White Lake outlet, the river flows briefly through the White Lake Forest Reserve. Then follows the White Lake Provincial Park Addition, which protects a 55 kilometres (34 mi) long stretch of the lower White River, from Brothers geographic township to the boundary of Pukaskwa National Park. This 200 metres (660 ft) wide natural corridor on both sides of the river was added to the pre-existing provincial park in 2006 to protect a notable canoe route, used by Aboriginal people and recorded in 1827 as the "Wabista or White River– navigable for small canoes". The White River in this section flows through 16 landform vegetation combinations, and drops 90 metres (300 ft) or about four metres per kilometre.[3]

The remaining 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of the river is protected in the Pukaskwa National Park.[3] There the river is crossed by the White River Suspension Bridge, set 23 metres (75 ft) above the Chigamiwinigum Falls.[8]

Hydroelectricity

The White River system has 3 hydroelectric generating stations (all located within the White Lake Provincial Park):

Gitchi Animki Bezhig (Big Thunder One) and Gitchi Animki Niizh (Big Thunder Two) are 2 installations about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) apart, with a combined generating capacity of 18.9 MW.[9] Completed in 2016 and owned by a joint venture of the Pic Mobert First Nation and Regional Power, the facilities replace an old dam that regulated lake levels and flood flows on White Lake.[9][10]

Umbata Falls hydroelectric generation station is approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Marathon, just east of the Pukaskwa Park boundary. It is a run-of-the-river type facility with a head of 32.8 metres (108 ft) and capacity of 23 MW. It was commissioned in 2008 and co-owned by the Pic River First Nation and Innergex Group.[11]

See also

References
  1. White, James (1915). Altitudes in the Dominion of Canada (2nd ed.). Ottawa: Commission of Conservation. p. 6.
  2. "White River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  3. "White Lake Provincial Park Management Plan: Amendment". Ontario.ca. Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. "Bremner River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  5. "Depew River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  6. "Oskabukuta River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  7. "Pokei Lake White River Wetlands Provincial Park Management Statement". Ontario.ca. Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  8. "Pukaskwa National Park - White River Suspension Bridge Trail". www.pc.gc.ca. Parks Canada. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  9. Julianna Peter-Paul (24 July 2020). "Regional Power and Pic Mobert First Nation - White River (Gitchi Animki) Hydroelectric Project". icenet.work. ICE Network. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  10. Michael Harris (1 August 2016). "Celebration marks opening of Ontario's 18.9-MW Gitchi Animki hydropower plant". Hydro Review. Clarion Energy’s Hydro Group. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  11. "Umbata Falls Official Opening". karinahunter.com. Ontario News North. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
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