| Pitt River | |
|---|---|
 Pitt River, looking north from the Lougheed highway bridge in Port Coquitlam | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| District | New Westminster Land District |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Garibaldi Ranges |
| • location | Coast Mountains |
| Mouth | Fraser River |
• location | Pitt Meadows,Port Coquitlam,Greater Vancouver Regional District |
• coordinates | 49°13′43″N122°46′4″W / 49.22861°N 122.76778°W /49.22861; -122.76778[2] |
• elevation | 5 m (16 ft)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Alvin[1] |
| • average | 54.0 m3/s (1,910 cu ft/s)[1] |
| • minimum | 5.10 m3/s (180 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 597 m3/s (21,100 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Alouette River |
ThePitt River inBritish Columbia,Canada is a large tributary of theFraser River, entering it a few miles upstream fromNew Westminster and about 25 km ESE ofDowntown Vancouver. The river, which begins in theGaribaldi Ranges of theCoast Mountains, is in two sections above and belowPitt Lake and flows on a generally southernly course. Pitt Lake and the lower Pitt River aretidal in nature as the Fraser's mouth is only a few miles downstream from their confluence.
The river was named forWilliam Pitt the Younger. The first mention of the name, as "Pitts River", occurs in the 1827 journal kept byJames McMillan of theHudson's Bay Company.[2] The river has an alternate name, Quoitle, which is probably equivalent toKwantlen.[2]
East of the lower Pitt River, 20 km long, is the community ofPitt Meadows, while to its west are the cities ofCoquitlam andPort Coquitlam; opposite its mouth isSurrey. Port Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows are connected by theHighway 7 bridges and the rail trestles of the double-trackedCPR mainline, whose vast main western yards begin on the Pitt's western shore. The plain of the lower Pitt was berry marsh and bog prior to its dyking. The farmland is on the east bank in Pitt Meadows; the poorersoil quality and scrubland on the west shore has encouraged largescalesuburbanization in Port Coquitlam. On the west shore in the upper stretches of the lower Pitt isMinnekhada Regional Park, residence of former British Columbia lieutenant-governorClarence Wallace. It was later sold to the Daon Corporation, which sold off portions. The Province then bought it, anticipating future development in the area; future provincial governments sold off even more portions.
The upper Pitt's basin is short but fed by a number ofice fields,glaciers, and mountain streams, such asGaribaldi Névé andMamquam Icefield. Thus the river gets quite large only 50 km from its source inGaribaldi Provincial Park. East of the upper Pitt isGolden Ears Provincial Park (formerly a part ofGaribaldi Provincial Park). Barge traffic from logging camps in the upper Pitt basin is a regular sight on thePitt Lake as well as in the area of the two highway bridges andCPR mainline bridge just up from the confluence of theFraser.
The Pitt is one of a number of north-south river-lake valleys which join the lower Fraser along its north side. The others are the valleys of theCoquitlam River, theAlouette River, theStave River, Suicide Creek (Norrish Creek), theChehalis River and, lastly, the valley ofHarrison Lake, 60 km east of the Pitt.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Geography | |
| Politics | |
| Public services | |
| Education | |
| Culture | |
| Transportation | |
