The Yamaska River is a river in southern Quebec, Canada.
Its source is the Sutton Mountains region of the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It flows north-west to Farnham and from there north to the Saint Lawrence River near Sorel-Tracy. Altogether it is 177 km (110 mi) long with a drainage basin of 4784 square kilometres.
Its basin is characterized by urban, industrial, and intensive agricultural use. Consequently the river is seriously polluted, especially from agricultural waste and pesticides. Nevertheless, many municipalities use the river as their source for drinking water.
Its name comes from an Amerindian name meaning "where rushes grow", referring to the abundant rushes in the marsh at river's mouth (Lavallière Bay). The name underwent many mutations: Maska, Ouamaska, Hiamaska, and Hyamaska. In the Abenaki language, the site was designated Mamaska, meaning "toad".
Read more about Yamaska River: Tributaries
Famous quotes containing the word river:
“Every incident connected with the breaking up of the rivers and ponds and the settling of the weather is particularly interesting to us who live in a climate of so great extremes. When the warmer days come, they who dwell near the river hear the ice crack at night with a startling whoop as loud as artillery, as if its icy fetters were rent from end to end, and within a few days see it rapidly going out. So the alligator comes out of the mud with quakings of the earth.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)