Nelson River

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Nelson River
Course of the Nelson River

Course of the Nelson River

Data
location Manitoba (Canada)
River system Nelson River
origin Winnipegsee
52 ° 46 ′ 0 ″  N , 97 ° 58 ′ 28 ″  W.
Source height 218  m
muzzle In Hudson Bay coordinates: 57 ° 9 ′ 0 ″  N , 92 ° 20 ′ 0 ″  W 57 ° 9 ′ 0 ″  N , 92 ° 20 ′ 0 ″  W.
Mouth height 0  m
Height difference 218 m
Bottom slope 0.34 ‰
length 644 km (2671 km with Saskatchewan River)
Catchment area 802,900 km²
Discharge at the level at the mouth A Eo : 802,900 km²
MQ
Mq
 		3486 m³ / s
4.3 l / (s km²)
Left tributaries Grass River , Burntwood River , Limestone River
Flowing lakes Cross Lake , Sipiwesk Lake , Split Lake
Reservoirs flowed through Playgreen Lake , Stephens Lake
Communities Gillam , Norway House , Split Lake
Nelson River near Norway House

Nelson River near Norway House

Catchment areas of the Nelson River (red) and the partially diverted upper reaches of the Churchill River (hatched)

Catchment areas of the Nelson River (red) and the partially diverted upper reaches of the Churchill River (hatched)

Map showing the supply of water from the Churchill River and the location of the hydroelectric power stations on the Nelson River

Map showing the supply of water from the Churchill River and the location of the hydroelectric power stations on the Nelson River

The Nelson River is one of the richest rivers in North America . It represents the outflow of Lake Winnipeg and flows into Hudson Bay .

course

The Nelson River measures “only” 664 km in its course and is therefore not much longer than z. B. the Main or the Moselle in Germany. However, its origin is only arbitrary, i.e. H. for historical reasons, set at the north end of Lake Winnipeg. In fact, the Nelson River represents the lower part of a much larger river system with a huge catchment area of ​​1,093,442 km², in which the Saskatchewan River is of central importance. All tributaries of Lake Winnipeg feed the Nelson. The total length of the Nelson River system from its longest source river to its mouth is 2671 km, which is roughly the length of the Danube .

Due to its numerous tributaries, the Nelson has a very high water flow; earlier the average flow rate at the estuary was about 2370 m³ per second. Since 1977, an additional 60% of the water from the Churchill River has been diverted to the Nelson, about 760 m³ per second. The average flow rate at the mouth today is around 3486 m³ per second.

history

The Nelson River got its name from the English explorer Thomas Button , who wintered at its mouth in 1612 . He named the river after Robert Nelson, a seafarer who died there. The Nelson was at times contested in early Canadian history because it was an important route for the fur trade in the region (although the neighboring Hayes River became even more important as a transport route).

In the second half of the 20th century, several hydropower plants were built along the course of the river, which in some cases led to conflicts with Cree and Métis in the region.

Hydropower plants

There are five hydropower plants on the Nelson River, all of which are operated by Manitoba Hydro . There are also plans for six more hydropower plants.

The existing hydropower plants in the downstream direction:

Surname completion
position		 Power
[MW]		 Number of
turbines		 hydraul.
Potential
[m]
Jenpeg 1979 133 6th 7.32
Kelsey 1957-1961 250 7th 17.1
Kettle 1974 1220 12 30th
Long Spruce 1979 1010 10 26th
Limestone 1985-1990 1340 10 27.6

Runoff level

Web links

Commons : Nelson River  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files
  • Atlas of Canada . Official Atlas of Canada, Toporama . Enter any search term in the search line ("Index").

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The Atlas of Canada - Rivers ( Memento from January 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  2. ↑ Manitoba Hydro - Generating Stations