Gouin Reservoir


The Gouin Reservoir is a man-made lake, fully within the boundaries of the City of La Tuque, Quebec, Canada. It is not one contiguous body of water, but the collective name for a series of connected lakes separated by innumerable bays, peninsulas, and islands with highly irregular shapes. It has therefore a relative long shoreline of over compared to its surface area of. It is the source of the Saint-Maurice River.
This large reservoir extends into the cantons of :
  • Mathieu, Verreau;
  • Lacasse, Toussaint, McSweeney, Magnan, Lindsay;
  • Hanotaux, Cremazie, Lemay, Marmette, Brochu, Déziel;
  • Poisson, Evanturel, Myrand, Chapman, Nevers, Aubin, Levasseur;
  • Achintre, Sulte, Huguenin, Delage, Leblanc, Bureau.

Recreational tourism activities

With a total of of waterways, this reservoir is a popular fishing destination with numerous commercial outfitters and private lodges along its shores. There are also a number of outfitters offering recreational tourism activities such hunting trips, fishing trips, excursions in all-terrain vehicles, nautical expeditions, photographic hunting, lodging in cottages, in house-boat, in hostel... Many of these outfitters also provide equipment supply and maintenance services related to recreational tourism activities. Generally, each outfitter is equipped with a marina offering various boating services.

History

The reservoir is named after Jean Lomer Gouin, who was Premier of Quebec when, in 1918, the Shawinigan Water & Power Company impounded the reservoir for hydroelectric development. The Gouin Reservoir has a 600 kW station for local use, but is used to control the flow of the St-Maurice River for the stations down-stream.
Initially, the "Commission des eaux courantes du Québec" wanted to facilitate the floating of wood that was routed via the Saint-Maurice River, to the paper mills of La Tuque to Trois-Rivières. The first work was built on La Loutre rapids in 1916-1917. The Shawinigan Water & Power Company decided to raise the level of the reservoir in 1948 and it was also decided to divert the headwaters of the Mégiscane River and the Suzie River, which flowed naturally to James Bay via the Mégiscane River, the Bell River (Quebec) and the Nottaway River; and to bring their waters to the Saint Lawrence River by the Saint-Maurice River. A series of dikes and canals were needed to divert the water from these rivers and still today; these works are unknown to the general public.

Village of Obedjiwan

The small Atikamekw community of Obedjiwan is located on the reservoir's north shore.
During the construction of the first Loutre dam, the Amerindians lived near Obedjiwan Lake, which was flooded when the reservoir was filled. At that time, the residents moved and rebuilt their village on the site of the present village of Obedjiwan, Quebec.

Village of Oskélanéo

The village of Oskélanéo is connected to Gouin Reservoir via Oskélanéo Lake and Oskélanéo River. This river flows on the south shore of Bureau Lake (Gouin Reservoir). The village of Oskélanéo was formed following the arrival in 1910 of the transcontinental railway; the station was designated "Oskélanéo River". Through the railway, the village became a supply depot and access point to the Rupert River, Mistassini Lake and other areas of northern Quebec. It also became a starting point for hunting and fishing expeditions in the region, as well as for forestry projects.

Geography

Road accesses

Although no paved road leads to the Gouin Reservoir, it is nevertheless accessible by several forested pathways, snowmobile trails and by air. The hydrographic slope of the Gouin Reservoir is accessible by:

Access by waterway from the railway

Outdoor enthusiasts can reach the Gouin Reservoir by canoe waterway from the Canadian National line connecting La Tuque to Senneterre, passing to the south of the reservoir :
;West part of the reservoir
;Centre part of the reservoir
The village of Parent and the village of Clova, Quebec, both now part of the City of La Tuque. These villages are located approximately south of the reservoir and are accessible by a forested road and by train with Via Rail.
A seaplane base is located at the top of the Gouin dam.

Main tributaries

The main rivers flowing into the Gouin reservoir are :
;South Shore
;West Shore
;North Shore
;East Shore
  • Verreau Creek
  • Sakiciw River
  • Barras Creek
  • * Oskatcickic Brook
  • Papactwe Creek
  • Kiackw River
  • Wapous River
  • Au Vison River
  • Au Vison River West

Main bays

This large reservoir has many bays and islands making navigation complex. Before the existence of geolocation systems that developed in the 2000s, many navigators lost their way on the water.
;South Shore
;West Shore
;North Shore
;East Shore
;Bays of Islands

Main islands

;South area
;North area
;East area
  • Tciman Island
  • Amérique Island
  • Oasis Island

Main lakes

The main lakes included in the reservoir or related are: Toussaint, Magnan, McSweeney and Du Mâle Lake.
;South area
;West area
;North area
;East area
  • Brochu Lake
  • Little Brochu Lake
  • Déziel Lake (Gouin Reservoir)
  • * Du Déserteur Lake (Gouin Reservoir)
  • Minikanakik Lake
  • Duchet Lake
  • Kamoskosoweskak Lake

Main passes

The many passes between the islands or peninsulas facilitate navigation on the reservoir.

Fauna

Fish

Fish species present include the walleye, northern pike, and sauger. Fishers sometimes catch lake trout and brook trout, but these species are more marginal because this vast body of water is the ideal reference point for pike, which is very fond of small fish.

Waterfowl

Waterfowl present in the region include the American black duck, mallard, green-winged teal, ring-necked duck, common merganser, hooded merganser, common goldeneye, bufflehead, common loon, Canada goose, bald eagle.

Mammals

The main mammals in Haute-Mauricie are: moose, white-tailed deer, bears, hares, red foxes, muskrats, skunks and raccoons.
The fishermen are required to comply with the regulations, especially when the number of catch. Depending on the season, hunting is also regulated by territory, type of game and type of weapon.

Gouin Reservoir Community Wildlife Area

The "Gouin Reservoir Community Wildlife Area" works to preserve the diversity of wildlife, improve the quality of fishing and protect it. In its role of surveillance of the territory, this non-profit organization collaborates with the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks to maintain a good management of the fish resource.