Nelson River (Saint-Charles River tributary)
The Nelson River is located in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in province of Quebec, in Canada. It is part of the watershed of the Saint-Charles River. The course of this river crosses: The Nelson River Valley is mainly served by Nelson River Street, Valcartier Boulevard, Rue du Petit Vallon, Route de la Bravoure and Route Cathcart. The surface of the Saint-Charles River (except the rapids areas) is generally frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March; however, safe circulation on the ice is generally done from the  end of December to the beginning of March. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April. Geography. The Nelson River sub-basin occupies the western part of the watershed of the Saint-Charles River and straddles part of the Quebec city and the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier. Formerly also called by its residents "Grand-Désert river", it rises near the Canadian Forces Base of Valcartier (a garrison of the Canadian Armed Forces), runs through the Val-Bélair district then flows into the Saint-Charles River  a little upstream of the drinking water supply point of the Quebec city, at the level of rue Jeanne-D'Arc on the territory of 7th arrondissement. It is long and its watershed covers 70 square kilometers. The watershed is characterized by an average altitude that varies little from upstream to downstream. The relief is however punctuated by a few mountains at the higher altitude (Mount of the Three Augustines, Mount Brillant and Mount Rolland-J.-Auger) on which certain recreational activities are sometimes practiced, notably in the territory of the Canadian Forces Base of Valcartier where a ski center has been  set up. The land use in the Nelson River sub-basin is predominantly forest. However, two sectors are marked by agricultural activities, mainly poultry farming and cereal farming. With many meanders in wooded then semi-urban territory, we meet a diverse fauna despite the pollution inherent in the territories it crosses in its last kilometers (trout, mallards), amphibians, etc.). From Lac de la Savane, the course of the Nelson river descends on , with a drop of , according to the following segments: The confluence of the Nelson river and the Saint-Charles River is located in the Château-d'Eau sector of  the city of Quebec at east of the mouth of the Saint-Charles river, east of central Charlesbourg-Ouest and south of the hamlet Lac-Saint-Charles. From this confluence, the current descends on generally towards the south-east, then towards the north-east, following the course of the Saint-Charles river. Toponymy. A street in Quebec is called "rue de la Rivière-Nelson" in arrondissement of La Haute-Saint-Charles. The term "Nelson" evokes the life work of Neilson McBain (Quebec, 1898 - Quebec, 1985), mayor of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier in 1949 and owner of land crossed by the  Nelson river. The writing of the name of the river differs slightly from that of the character from which it takes its name. This river was once called Mill River. This name appears on the act of acquisition of the property in 1925. In 1963, the river was already known by its current name. The toponym "Nelson River" was formalized on March 28, 1974 at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.