Lake Saint Pierre
| Lake Saint Pierre Lac Saint-Pierre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Quebec |
| Coordinates | 46°12′15″N 72°49′56″W / 46.20417°N 72.83222°WCoordinates: 46°12′15″N 72°49′56″W / 46.20417°N 72.83222°W |
| Primary inflows | Saint Lawrence River, Richelieu River, Saint-François River |
| Primary outflows | Saint Lawrence River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 35 km (22 mi) |
| Max. width | 10 km (6 mi) |
| Surface area | 353 km2 (136 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Max. depth | 11.3 m (37 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 3.3 m (11 ft) |
| Settlements | |
| Designated: | 27 May 1998 |
Lake Saint Pierre (French: Lac Saint-Pierre) is a lake in Quebec, Canada, located on the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières, downstream and east of Montreal. Including its shoreline, islands, and wetlands, the lake is a nature reserve. The lake is located in the Regional County Municipalities of Nicolet-Yamaska, Maskinongé, D'Autray, and Pierre-De Saurel, in addition to the city of Trois-Rivières.
This seasonally-flooded area is an important stopping point for hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl. It is also an important nesting area for herons: more have been counted here than in any other place in North America. In 1998, it was recognized as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention.
Lac Saint-Pierre was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2000.
Environmental problems
Despite its biosphere reserve status, the lake contains an unknown number of unexploded bombs from tests in the 1950s through 2000s, and sewer waste from Montreal decreases the water quality.
In popular culture
Lac Saint-Pierre is the setting of the poem, folk ballad, and animated short, "the Wreck of the Julie Plante," by William Henry Drummond.
It is also the scene of the farm that the title character tries to buy, in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler.
External links
- Information sheet on Ramsar Wetlands: Lac Saint-Pierre PDF (182 KB)
- Lac Saint Pierre Biosphere Reserve, Canada (UNESCO site)
- The Lake Was A Bomb Test Site (French)