Robert-Bourassa Reservoir

The Robert-Bourassa Reservoir (French: Réservoir Robert-Bourassa) is a man-made lake in northern Quebec, Canada. It was created in the mid-1970s as part of the James Bay Project and provides the needed water for the Robert-Bourassa and La Grande-2-A generating stations. It has a maximum surface area of 2,835 square kilometres (1,095 sq mi), and a surface elevation between 168 metres (551 ft) and 175 metres (574 ft).[1] The reservoir has an estimated volume of 61.7 cubic kilometres (14.8 cu mi), of which 19.4 cubic kilometres (4.7 cu mi) is available for hydro-electric power generation.[2]

Robert-Bourassa Reservoir
Robert-Bourassa Reservoir
Location in Quebec
LocationBaie-James, Jamésie Territory, Quebec
Coordinates53°45′N 77°00′W
Lake typeArtificial
Primary inflowsLa Grande River
Primary outflowsLa Grande River
Catchment area97,643 km2 (37,700 sq mi)
Basin countriesCanada
Surface area2,835 km2 (1,095 sq mi)
Average depth21.8 m (72 ft)
Max. depth137 m (449 ft)
Water volume61.7 km3 (14.8 cu mi)
Residence time0.5 years
Shore length14,550 km (2,830 mi)
Surface elevation175 m (574 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The reservoir is formed behind the Robert-Bourassa Dam that was built across a valley of the La Grande River. This dam was constructed from 1974 to 1978, is 550 m (1,800 ft) wide at its base, and has 23 million m3 (30 million yd3) of fill.[3] There are another 31 smaller dikes keeping the water inside the reservoir.

Robert-Bourassa reservoir near the Robert-Bourassa generating station.

See also

References
  1. Hydro-Québec – Robert-Bourassa Reservoir Archived 2007-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Hydro-Québec – Cinq principaux réservoirs d'Hydro-Québec
  3. Hydro-Québec – Robert-Bourassa Dam Archived 2007-02-23 at the Wayback Machine


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