Rideau River

Rideau River under Cummings Bridge separating Sandy Hill from Vanier in Ottawa

Rideau River and Rideau Canal opposite Carleton University

1826 painting of the Rideau Falls, where the Rideau River empties out into the Ottawa River, by Thomas Burrowes

The Rideau River (Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is a river in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at the Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is Template:Convert.

As explained in a writing by Samuel de Champlain in 1613, the river was given the name "Rideau" (Template:Lang-for) because of the appearance of the Rideau Falls. The Anishinàbemowin name for the river is Template:Langx.Template:Sfn

The Rideau Canal, which allows travel from Ottawa to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario, was formed by joining the Rideau River with the Cataraqui River. The river diverges from the Canal at Hog's Back Falls in Ottawa.

In early spring, to reduce flooding on the lower section of the river, workers from the city of Ottawa use ice blasting to clear the ice which covers the river from Billings Bridge to Rideau Falls by cutting "keys" through the ice and using explosives to break off large sheets of ice. This practice has been going on for more than 100 years.<ref name=Leblanc>Template:Cite news</ref>

The regulatory authority charged with protecting the Rideau River and its tributaries is the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

History

Samuel de Champlain, who was the first European to have seen the river, named it Template:Lang-for due to the resemblance between Rideau Falls and a curtain.

In earlier times, the river was used as a transportation route between the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence River. The fertility of the lands along the banks of Rideau river attracted loyalist settlers looking for good farmlands, which led to growth of settlements in the surrounding regions. After the War of 1812, a waterway, designed by John By, was built through Rideau River connecting Kingston to Ottawa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tributaries

• Adrians Creek
• Duck Creek
• Tay River
• Black Creek
• Otter Creek
• Rosedale Creek
• Irish Creek
• Babers Creek
• Atkinsons Creek
• Rideau Creek
• Dales Creek
• Brassils Creek
• Murphy Drain
• Kemptville Creek
• McDermott Drain
• Cranberry Creek
• Steven Creek
• Mud Creek
• Jock River
• Black Rapids Creek
• Nepean Creek
• Brewer Park Pond (connected via a culvert)
• Sawmill Creek

Communities

Communities along the Rideau include:

• Ottawa, Ontario
• Manotick, Ontario
• Kars, Ontario
• North Grenville, Ontario
• Merrickville, Ontario
• Smiths Falls, Ontario

Islands

• Barnes Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Beech Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Cummings Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Green Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• James Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Kilmarnock Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Libby Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Long Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Maple Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Nicolls Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Porter Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>
• Sanders Island<ref>Template:Cite cgndb</ref>

See also

• Ottawa's Green spaces along the Rideau River
• List of Ontario rivers
• Royal Swans, that occupy a stretch of the river

References

• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
• Biodiversity of the Rideau River (CMN, nature.ca)