Kaministiquia River
| Kaministiquia River | |
|---|---|
Kaministiquia River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Northern Ontario |
| District | Thunder Bay |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Dog Lake |
| • location | Ontario |
| • coordinates | 48°41′53″N 89°38′29″W / 48.69806°N 89.64139°W |
| • elevation | 420 m (1,380 ft) |
| Mouth | Lake Superior |
• location | At the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario |
• coordinates | 48°23′34″N 89°12′58″W / 48.39278°N 89.21611°W |
• elevation | 183.5 m (602 ft) |
| Length | 95 km (59 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Great Lakes Basin |
The Kaministiquia River (/ˌkæmɪˈnɪstɪkwɑː/) is a river which flows into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kaministiquia (Gaa-ministigweyaa) is an Ojibwe word meaning "where a stream flows in island" due to two large islands (McKellar and Mission) at the mouth of the river. The delta has three branches or outlets, reflected on early North American maps in French as "les trois rivières" (the three rivers): the southernmost is known as the Mission River, the central branch as the McKellar River, and the northernmost branch as the Kaministiquia. Residents of the region commonly refer to the river as the Kam River.
Water flow in the Kaministiquia River system is regulated at the Dog Lake dams 1 and 2 and at the Greenwater, Kashabowie and Shebandowan dams. Two generating stations, one at Kakabeka Falls (25 MW) and another at Silver Falls (48 MW), are operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), a public company wholly owned by Government of Ontario.