| Eastmain | |
|---|---|
 Eastmain River in Dec. 2005 at theJames Bay Road. | |
 Drainage basin of the Eastmain River. Current basin in yellow. Diverted basin to theLa Grande River in orange. Original basin in yellow and orange. | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Jamésie |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lac Bréhat |
| • location | Baie-James,Nord-du-Québec,Québec,Canada |
| • coordinates | 52°31′30″N70°52′00″W / 52.52500°N 70.86667°W /52.52500; -70.86667 |
| • elevation | 554 m (1,818 ft) |
| Mouth | James Bay |
• location | Eastmain,Nord-du-Québec,Quebec,Canada |
• coordinates | 52°14′30″N78°34′00″W / 52.24167°N 78.56667°W /52.24167; -78.56667 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 756 km (470 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 46,400 km2 (17,900 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 930 m3/s (33,000 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left |
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| • right |
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TheEastmain River, formerly writtenEast Main, is ariver in west centralQuebec. It rises in central Quebec and flows 800 km (500 mi) west toJames Bay, draining an area of 46,400 km2 (17,900 sq mi). TheFirst NationsCree village ofEastmain is located beside the mouth.
Eastmain is acompounding of the river's former name East Main,[2] which was taken from the formerHudson's Bay Company outpost at its mouth. This post controlled company trading operations in the East Main District on the eastern side ofJames Bay.
Since the late 1980s, most of the waters of the Eastmain River have been diverted and flow northwards through theOpinaca Reservoir, with a surface area of about 950 square kilometres (370 sq mi), and into theRobert-Bourassa Reservoir ofHydro-Québec'sLa Grande Complex. The remainder of the Eastmain River contains only about 10 percent of the volume of its former flow, and is now subject to freeze-up in winter (see photo). These changes have affected theCree andInuit peoples who live along the Eastmain River and James Bay coast, making it more difficult for them to travel in winter and reducing their access to fish in the river.
In 2005, a further hydroelectric project on the upper Eastmain River was under construction. The project was part of the original hydroelectric project provided for by theJames Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975. TheEastmain Reservoir will eventually have a surface area of about 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi), and the Eastmain-1 power plant will generate a maximum of 900 MW.
The mouth of the Eastmain was a centre of the Hudson's Bay Company fur trade.Charles Bayly reached it fromRupert House in the 1670s. After Rupert House was destroyed in 1686, the area was visited by a ship fromYork Factory. In 1723 to 1724, Joseph Myatt of the Hudson's Bay Company built a post.[3]
