The Rideau River ( French : Rivière Rideau , Ojibwe : Pasapkedjinawong ) 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 146 kilometres (91 mi).
7-575: The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is an inter-municipal environmental protection and advisory agency that works with local municipalities, government agencies, special interest groups and the general public to protect the natural resources of the Rideau River watershed. The watershed drains an area of over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) of eastern Ontario and includes towns such as Portland, Perth , Smith Falls , Merrickville , Kemptville , and Manotick . About 620,000 live in
14-544: The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation (RVCF) and their environmental projects, while managing all of its conservation lands. The RVCF was founded in 1970. It has an active land securement plan and strong track record in managing donated land through agreement with the RVCA. It accepts gifts of land in exchange for a charitable tax receipt for the fair market value of the property in common with groups like
21-604: The Rideau Waterway Land Trust Foundation, local municipalities and the Nature Conservancy of Canada . Rideau River As explained in a writing by Samuel de Champlain in 1613, the river was given the name "Rideau" ( French for 'curtain') because of the appearance of the Rideau Falls. The Anishinàbemowin name for the river is Pasapkedjinawong , 'the river that passes between
28-502: 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 ,
35-600: 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. The regulatory authority charged with protecting the Rideau River and its tributaries is the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority . Samuel de Champlain, who was the first European to have seen the river, named it rideau ( French for 'curtain') due to
42-566: The rocks'. 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
49-505: The watershed, mostly deriving from the City of Ottawa . There are 18 municipalities within the valley and most people, outside of Ottawa, draw their drinking water from the river or from groundwater. The mission of the RVCA is to have clean drinking water, natural shorelines, and sustainable land use throughout the Rideau Valley watershed. The RVCA provides office space, staff, and expertise to
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