Lac Ouareau is a fairly large lake located near the town of Saint-Donat, in Matawinie Regional County Municipality, Quebec, in administrative region of Lanaudière, in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is approximately 100 minutes by car north of downtown Montreal in the Laurentian Highlands and is located on the outskirts of Saint-Donat. Celine Dion currently owns a summer house on Lac Ouareau. Today, Archambault and Ouareau lakes receive thousands of vacationers who enjoy the many outdoor activities available in the region. The southwest shore of Lake Ouareau is served by the route 125 South which runs along the shore. The eastern part of the lake is served by the Saint-Guillaume path. The northern part (including the Baie de la Dame is served by the Ouareau North path. Recreational and tourist activities, notably vacationing, are the main economic activities in this area. The surface of Lake Ouareau is generally frozen from mid-December to the end of March; safe circulation on the ice is generally done from the end of December to the beginning of March.
Geography
This lake is about 70 minutes from Montreal. The V-shaped lake has a length of, a width of, an area of and an average depth of. Lake Ouareau includes the Baie de la Dame which sinks on the north shore to the mouth of the lake. The entrance to the bay is wide. The lake also includes Leguerrier Bay, located southeast of the lake. The Saint-Loup creek pours there at the bottom of the bay. The two main islands are: Cave Island and Rupert Island.
Flora and fauna
The lake is home to many ideal freshwater sport fish such as largemouth bass, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and, in some areas, muskellunge. The lake is also home to many microorganisms that have been known to thrive in very clean, or "nutritious" Northern lakes. The temperature of the water is 55 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
Camp
An all-girls camp is located on the borders of this lake, hence its name, "Camp Ouareau". Camp Ouareau was established in 1922 by two women who after a disagreement decided to part ways. One of the women remained at Ouareau & the other went on to be a founder of an all-girls camp in Ontario, Camp Oconto. Allegedly, while Camp Ouareau & Camp Oconto are structurally & fundamentally different they are said to have similar traditions. Originally an English camp, in the 1970s the director at the time decided to start accepting 50% francophone campers. Each individual age group has 50% anglophone & 50% francophone enrolment in order to ensure an exchange of the language & cultures while experiencing the different areas of camp life: activities, dining room, in cabins/tents, etc.
Toponymy
The term "Ouareau" is of Algonquin origin meaning far or distant. This term is part of the toponym of the river and its head lake. The term Ouareau has been known since the end of the 18th century. This term appears on the plan of the surveyor William Rankins under the spelling: "The river Lac Ouareau". Joseph Bouchette also mentions this term in his Topographic Description of the Province of Lower Canada. The toponym "Lake Ouareau" is also noted on the map of Francis P. Quinn, drawn up in 1858. The lake and the Ouareau river were used to transport logs by floating at the turn in the second half of the 19th and the first half from the 20th century. The toponym Lac Ouareau was formalized on December 5, 1968.
