Nipigon River
| Nipigon River | |
|---|---|
Nipigon River viewed to the south, with Nipigon Bay in the distance | |
Map of original Nipigon River basin, not including the diverted basin | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Thunder Bay |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Nipigon |
| • coordinates | 49°27′35″N 88°13′00″W / 49.45972°N 88.21667°W |
| • elevation | 259 m (850 ft) |
| Mouth | Nipigon Bay |
• location | Red Rock |
• coordinates | 48°57′42″N 88°15′00″W / 48.96167°N 88.25000°W |
• elevation | 184 m (604 ft) |
| Length | 48 km (30 mi) |
| Basin size | 25,400 km2 (9,800 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Alexander Generating Station |
| • average | 350 m3/s (12,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Great Lakes Basin |
| Waterbodies | Helen Lake |
| Bridges | Nipigon River Bridge, CP Railway Bridge |
The Nipigon River is located in Thunder Bay District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The river is about 48 km (30 mi) long (or 209 kilometres (130 mi) when measured to the head of Ombabika River) and 50 to 200 m (160 to 660 ft) wide, and flows from Lake Nipigon to Nipigon Bay on Lake Superior at the community of Red Rock, dropping from an elevation of 260 to 183 m (853 to 600 ft). It is the largest tributary of Lake Superior.
Since 1943, 14,360 square kilometres (5,545 mi2) of the Ogoki River basin has been diverted to the headwaters of the Little Jackfish River, a tributary of Lake Nipigon. This diversion increases the size of the river's watershed by almost 60% to 39,760 square kilometres (15,350 sq mi), and contributes an average of about 116 cubic metres per second (4,100 cu ft/s) to the Nipigon River. This increased flow has caused significant erosion and landslides along the river.