Clair Lake (Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne)
The lac Clair is part of the hydrographic side of the Noire River, in the municipalities of Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne (East part du lac) and Saint-Alban (western part of the lake), in the MRC of Portneuf Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in province of Quebec, Canada.
| Clair Lake | |
|---|---|
  Clair Lake Location in Quebec | |
| Location | Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne and Saint-Alban, Portneuf Regional County Municipality, Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 46.82389°N 72.09111°W |
| Lake type | Natural |
| Primary inflows | (Clockwise from the mouth) Discharge of Crochu lake, discharge of two small unidentified lakes, discharge of Lake Louise. |
| Primary outflows | Discharge of lac Clair leading to the Noire River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 224 m (735 ft) |
The area around Lac Clair is served by Chemin du Lac-Clair which goes around the lake.[1] Forestry is the main economic activity in the sector; recreotourism activities, second.[2]
The surface of Clair Lake is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to mid-March.
Geography
The mouth of Lake Clair is located at:
- 0.6 kilometres (0.37 mi) north-east of the course of the Noire River;
- 9.1 kilometres (5.7 mi) south-west of the village center of Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne;
- 10.9 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of the village center of Saint-Alban;
- 20.7 kilometres (12.9 mi) north-west of the north-west bank of the St. Lawrence River.
With a length of 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) and a maximum width of 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi), Clear Lake resembles a rectangle whose middle on each side would have partially collapsed towards the center of the lake. This lake is located entirely in the forest. This lake has five bays, one at each corner of the rectangle, and a fifth on the east side.[2]
Comprising 70 kilometres (43.50 mi), the Portneuf Regional Natural Park includes lakes Long, Montauban, Carillon, Sept Îles, en Coeur, "À the Eel "and a few other more secondary bodies of water. This park is popular for recreational and tourist activities: hiking trails, boat launching ramp.
The mouth of Clair Lake is located southwest of the lake. Its outfall is the outlet of the lake leading on 1.0 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the northeast bank of the Noire river, which crosses the St. Lawrence plain in a serpentine way to the village from Saint-Casimir. From the mouth of the Clair Lake outlet, the current flows over:
- to the south by the Noire River;
- 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) towards the south by the Sainte-Anne River which flows on the northwest bank of the Saint Lawrence river.[2]
Toponymy
The toponym "Lac Clair" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[3]