Rivière Nottaway | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Rivière Nottaway

Rivière Nottaway, 776 km (via Rivière Bell to head of Rivière Mégiscane), rises in west-central Québec and flows north via Lacs Parent and Quévillon into Lac Matagami. Here it is joined by its chief headstream, Rivière Waswanipi, and then drains northwest through Lac Soscumica.

Rivière Nottaway, 776 km (via Rivière Bell to head of Rivière Mégiscane), rises in west-central Québec and flows north via Lacs Parent and Quévillon into Lac Matagami. Here it is joined by its chief headstream, Rivière Waswanipi, and then drains northwest through Lac Soscumica. It empties into southeastern James Bay at Rupert Bay where a trading post was established. Its drainage basin covers 65,800 km2 and it has a mean discharge of 1130 m3/s. This powerful river's name is Indian (possibly Algonquin) in origin and has been variously translated as "the enemy" or "the river of the enemy."