Rivière du Moulin (rivière Saguenay)


The Rivière du Moulin, also called Rivière Langevin, is a tributary of the Saguenay River. Its mouth is located in the Rivière-du-Moulin district, in the east of the Chicoutimi borough in Saguenay. The river is known for its urban park, the Rivière-du-Moulin park, located on its banks near its mouth.
The upper part of the Moulin river valley is served by the forest roads R0287 and by a secondary road descending part of the valley; this upper part is also indirectly served by the route 175 which passes on the west side. A few other secondary forest roads serve the "rivière du Moulin" valley, mainly for forestry and recreational tourism activities.
In addition to the urban and industrial area, crossing the Chicoutimi sector of the city of Saguenay, forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second.
The surface of the Moulin river 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, except in the rapids zone.

Toponymy

The "rivière du Moulin" takes its name from the Sawmill built by Peter McLeod father around 1810 on the river, while he was employed by the Company North West. This name is mentioned for the first time in 1827. The name "Langevin" comes from the Langevin family who formerly owned a flour mill near its mouth. For their part, the Montagnais used the designation "Papawitish" to designate the river. From Le Gardeur de Tilly's report in 1725 until 1825, half a dozen explorers will use this name. "Papawitish" would mean "beaver about 2 to 3 years old" in innu-aimun.
The toponym "Rivière du Moulin" was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.

Geography

Course

The Moulin river begins its course at above sea level in the Laurentian Mountains. It originates in the Lac du Moulin in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. This lake is mainly fed by the outlet from Lake Andrevos and by a stream coming from the east. This lake is located at:
From the lac du Moulin, the rivière du Moulin flows mainly north for a length of to Saguenay, to finally jump into the Saguenay River.
Upper course of the rivière du Moulin
Intermediate course of the rivière du Moulin
Lower course of the rivière du Moulin
The "rivière du Moulin" flows on the south-eastern bank of the Saguenay River in the "Rivière-du-Moulin" district northeast of downtown Saguenay. This confluence is located downstream from the Dubuc bridge which spans the Saguenay River at the height of downtown Saguenay, facing the northwest shore of the Saguenay River and upstream from the bridge of route 172 at the mouth of the Valin River on the north bank of the Saguenay River.
From the mouth of the Moulin river, the current follows the course of the Saguenay River on eastwards to Tadoussac where it meets with the Saint Lawrence Estuary.

Hydrology

The watershed of the "rivière du Moulin" has an area of. In all, it has permanent rivers, intermittent, lakes, 2 reservoirs and 378 wetlands.
The main tributaries of the river are the rivers Croft, Fortin-Gobeil, Pedneault-Maltais, Romuald-Simard, de la Savane, Tremblay-Saint-Gelais, the Maltais stream and the Pères stream as well as the Bras de Jacob, "Jacob Ouest et Sec". The two most important lakes are Lac du Moulin and Grand Lac.

Geology

The "rivière du Moulin" crosses two geomorphological regions; the Laurentian Mountains) and the lowlands of the Saguenay from Laterrière and downstream.

Population

It is estimated that there were approximately between and 15000 people who lived in the rivière du Moulin basin in 2001. All residents are residents of the city of Saguenay. The population density is in the sector Laterrière and in Chicoutimi.

Photographic gallery