Watersheds

The Waters of Hastings

Hastings County, particularly in the Shield country of its northern regions, is a land of lakes and rivers. The most prominent river systems are those of the Moira, whose watershed covers south-central Hastings and flows to the Bay of Quinte at Belleville, and the York, which rises in Algonquin Park and flows into the Ottawa River.

In the extreme southwest corner of Hastings, the Trent River kicks in from the west on its way around the eastern terminus of the Oak Ridges Moraine. It then flows through Trenton to the Bay of Quinte. In the southeast corner, the Salmon River trickles across the county seeking the bay.

A major tributary to the Trent is the Crowe River, which drains an area from Paudash south along the Peterborough-Hastings county boundary. In the northeast, the Little Mississippi River system drains parts of Carlow/Mayo Township.

The Moira is the only major river which rises and ends within Hastings County, although its watershed reaches northeast across Lennox and Addington County. The Moira has three main branches, rising from the hills of the northern part of the watershed. These are the Upper Moira, the Black and the Skootamatta which converge southwest of Actinolite. Lesser tributaries to the Moira include the Clare River, Parks Creek and Chrysal Creek. Overall, the Moira is 147.4 kilometres (91.6 miles) in length.

The only navigable river for any distance is the Trent because of the Trent-Severn Waterway (Trent Canal).

 

While Hastings County is studded with hundreds of lakes, eight are most prominent. Stoco Lake at Tweed and Moira Lake near Madoc both lie on the Moira River. To the west, Crowe Lake is a prime recreational area near Marmora. Lingham Lake is isolated in Grimsthorpe Township, while Limerick Lake beckons cottagers near St. Ola.

 

Baptiste Lake, northwest of Bancroft, is man-made. During the heydays of logging in the 19th century, a dam was constructed at High Falls to drown a chain of smaller lakes on the York River. As a result, Baptiste Lake was formed to help logging companies get their timber to markets more easily. In the extreme northeast, Papineau and Kamaniskeg lakes dominate the landscape of the former Bangor Township.

MOIRA RIVER FACTS

The river has borne several names:

• Sagonashkokan (Mississauga Indians)
• Sagonaska (Loyalist settlers)
• Singleton's Creek or River
• Meyers' Creek
• The River Moira

Moira River Drainage area: 1,056 square miles of land (2,735 sq. km.)

Length: 91.6 miles (147.4 km.)

Main tributaries: Black River 36.8 miles/59.2 km., Skootamatta River, 46.2 miles/74.34 km., Clare River, 25.8 miles/41.5 km., Paris Creek, 19.2 miles/30.9 km., Chrysal Creek, 8.7 miles/14 km.

Main municipalities on river: Belleville, Foxboro, Tweed, Madoc

Water flow on the Moira is monitored by the Quinte Conservation Authority at:

• Moira River at Hwy. 7
• Black River at Hwy. 7
• Skootamatta River at Hwy. 7
• Moira River at Tweed
• Moira River at Foxboro