The Petit Saguenay River is a watercourse flowing in Quebec, Canada, in: the unorganized territory of Sagard, Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality, in administrative region of Capitale-Nationale; the municipality of Petit-Saguenay, in the Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.
This river has the status of "salmon river"; the course of the river is administered by the zec de la Rivière-Petit-Saguenay which supervises 24 salmon pits and a non-quota zone. A lower segment (near the Saguenay River) is administered by the Saguenay Fjord National Park and the zec de l'Anse-Saint-Jean.
The lower part of this river is served by Quai Street (West Bank) from the mouth, rue Tremblay and rue Eugène-Morin. The route 170 passes on the east bank between the village of Petit-Saguenay and the confluence of the Deschênes River. The intermediate section is served by Lac Victor Road and Ovila-Lavoie Road. The upper part is served by various secondary forest roads.
Forestry is the first economic activity in the sector; recreational tourism activities, second.
The surface of the Petit Saguenay River is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however, safe ice circulation is generally from mid-December to mid-March.
Hydrology
With long, the "Petit Saguenay River" drains a watershed of including for the basin upstream of the "Petit Saguenay" water measurement station located 1 km downstream of the confluence with the outlet of David Lake. At this measuring station, the average flow of the river reaches .
The Petit Saguenay River is a river of white water, with a bed of pebbles, gravel and sand.
Geography
The main hydrographic slopes near the Petit Saguenay River are: North side: Saguenay River; East side: rivière de la Baie des Rochers, Saint-Athanase River, Saint-Étienne River; South side: Noire River, Deschênes River; West side: Rivière du Portage, Saint-Jean River.
The Petit Saguenay River has its source in the "Troisième lac des Marais" (Third Marsh Lake) (length: ; altitude: ) of various bodies of water in the zec du Lac-au-Sable, then flows east to Sagard. From its source ("Troisième lac des Marais"), the course of the Petit Saguenay River descends on according to the following segments:
Upper course of the Petit Saguenay River (segment of ) to the north by collecting the Pierrot Lake discharge (coming from the southwest), to the outlet (coming from the west) of "Petit lac au Sable"; northwesterly, forming a hook to the east, to the east shore of Lac au Sable; north across the Lac au Sable (elevation: ) along its full length to its mouth. Note: this lake receives, on the west bank, Bazile Brook and Sable Creek; north across Lac au Bouleau (Birtch Lake) (length: ; altitude: ) on its full length to its mouth; northerly, westerly to the east bank, then north across the Emmuraillé Lake (length: altitude: ) on to its mouth;
Upper course of the Petit Saguenay River, downstream from Lake Emmuraillé (segment of ) northerly, forming a large loop to the east and then to the northeast, including crossing Petit Saguenay Lake (length: ; altitude: ) on its full length to its mouth; to the northwest by collecting the discharge (coming from the north) of an unidentified lake, to the dump (coming from the south-east) of Lake Chicot, the lake Onesime and McLagan Lake; northerly in a valley sometimes enclosed, to the outlet (coming from the west) of Lake Ti-Jos; east, then north, to a river bend; easterly forming a long curve to the south, collecting the outlet of Pichetoune Lake and the outlet of Beaver Lake, until the confluence of the Deschênes River (from the south);
Intermediate course of the Petit Saguenay River (segment of ) northerly passing through the village of Sagard, to the outlet (coming from the west) of an unidentified lake; northerly along the west side of route 170 and winding through a few marsh areas to the dump (coming from West) of Red Pine Lake; to the east forming a large S in marsh area, to the outlet (from the east) of Lake David; north, crossing four sets of rapids, to a river bend corresponding to the dump (coming from the southeast) of Lac de l'Oeuf;