| Yamaska River (Rivière Yamaska) | |
|
The Yamaska River near Saint-Hyacinthe
|
|
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Quebec |
| Regions | Montérégie, Centre-du-Québec |
| City | Saint-Hyacinthe |
| Source | Lac Brome |
| - location | Lac-Brome, Canton le Est |
| - elevation | 194 m (636 ft) |
| - length | 6 m (20 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
| Mouth | Lac Saint-Pierre (Saint Lawrence River) |
| - location | Saint-François-du-Lac, Centre-du-Québec |
| - coordinates | |
| Length | 160 km (99 mi) |
| Basin | 4,784 km2 (1,847 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Lac Saint-Pierre |
| - average | 83 m3/s (2,931 cu ft/s) |
|
|
|
The Yamaska River is a river in southern Quebec, Canada.
Its source is the Sutton Mountains region of the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It flows north-west to Farnham and from there north to the Saint Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy. Altogether it is 177 km (110 mi) long with a drainage basin of 4784 square kilometres.
Its basin is characterized by urban, industrial, and intensive agricultural use. Consequently the river is seriously polluted, especially from agricultural waste and pesticides. Nevertheless, many municipalities use the river as their source for drinking water.[1]
Its name comes from an Amerindian name meaning "where rushes grow", referring to the abundant rushes in the marsh at river's mouth (Lavallière Bay). The name underwent many mutations: Maska, Ouamaska, Hiamaska, and Hyamaska. In the Abenaki language, the site was designated Mamaska, meaning "toad".[2]
Among its main tributaries are the Noire, South-East Yamaska, and North Yamaska Rivers.
| River sub-basin [1] | Left or right tributary (in downstream order) |
Sub-basin surface area (km²) |
Sub-basin under cultivation (percentage %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaska | n/a | 1759 | 57.7 |
| Yamaska Nord | right | 303 | 28.2 |
| Yamaska Sud-Est | left | 411 | 22.5 |
| Noire | right | 1571 | 42.7 |
| Salvail | left | 206 | 53.7 |
| David | right | 326 | 59.8 |
| Pot au Beurre | left | 208 | 45.8 |