The Gouin Reservoir is a man-made lake, in La Tuque, in Mauricie, in the central portion of the Canadian province of Quebec, fully within the boundaries of the City of La Tuque. 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 5,600 km compared to its surface area of 1,570 km². It is the source of the Saint-Maurice River. This large reservoir extends into the cantons of :
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 MW 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 and 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 and the Nottaway River; and to pour them 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. The village of Oskélanéo was formed following the arrival in 1910 of the transcontinental railroad; the station was designated "Oskélanéo River". Through the railroad, 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:
North side: route 212 from the village of Obedjiwan, Quebec and heading northeasterly following more or less the north shore of the Gouin reservoir, to the Normandin Lake area. From Obedjiwan, Quebec, the forested road R1045 and R2046 are serving the North-West area of the reservoir;
East side: the forest road 451 connecting Gouin dam, the village of Wemotaci and La Tuque to the south; this road section serves in particular the valley of the Wapous River and Berlinguet Lake;
South side: the forest road 400 serves the south-east part of the reservoir by passing to the Gouin dam; Forest Road 404 serves the southwestern portion between the villages of Clova, Quebec and Parent, Quebec;
West side: the forested road R1009 located west of the Pascagama River is serving the West coast of Gouin Reservoir.
Access by waterway from the railway
Main tributaries
The main rivers flowing into the Gouin reservoir are :
Main bays
This large reservoir has many bays and islands making navigation more complex. Before the existence of geolocation systems that developed in the 2000s, many navigators have lost their way on this water, misfires.
Main islands
Main lakes
The main lakes included in the reservoir or related are: Toussaint, Magnan, McSweeney and Du Mâle Lake.
Main passes
The many passes between the islands or peninsulas facilitate navigation on the reservoir.
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.
