Welland River
Encyclopedia
The Welland River is a river in the Niagara Region
of southern Ontario
which flows from its headwaters south of Hamilton, Ontario
to empty into the Niagara River
near the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario
. It drains an area of 880 km²
.
The river was originally called the Chippawa Creek since it drained into Niagara River at Chippawa
. Like many other places in Niagara, it was renamed by John Graves Simcoe
, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada in 1792. The present name is taken from River Welland
in Lincolnshire
in eastern England
. The river is still occasionally referred to as Chippawa Creek, especially by those in the Chippawa area itself.
The Welland Canal
was named after the river since it originally was planned to link Lake Ontario
to Welland River. The city of Welland, Ontario
was later named after both waterways, which cross in the city.
The river flows through two aqueducts, under the Welland Recreational Waterway
and the new alignment of the Welland Canal. An important tributary of the river is Coyle Creek
, a picturesque and thickly forested creek that flows into the river on the north bank. The oldest structure spanning the river was O'Reilly's Bridge, which was built in 1901 and crossed the river between the townships of Pelham and Wainfleet. O'Reilly's Bridge was a single-lane iron truss bridge, the only of its kind on the entire river, and one of the oldest iron truss bridges in Southern Ontario. O'Reilly's Bridge was demolished in 2010 and was replaced with a more modern, wider span.
Hydroelectric generation activities in the Niagara Falls
region actually cause the flow in the lower section of this river to reverse, as seen in this satellite picture. Water is also diverted from Lake Erie into this river to supply power generation at DeCew Falls.
Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Niagara , also known as the Niagara Region, or, colloquially, "Regional Niagara", is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada....
of southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
which flows from its headwaters south of Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
to empty into the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
near the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
. It drains an area of 880 km²
1 E8 m²
To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, listed below are areas between 100 km2 and 1000 km2. See also areas of other orders of magnitude.* Areas less than 100 km2* 100 km2 is equal to:** 1 E+8 m²...
.
The river was originally called the Chippawa Creek since it drained into Niagara River at Chippawa
Chippawa, Ontario
Chippawa is a community located within the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario.The village was founded in 1850, and became part of the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario by amalgamation in 1970. It is located on the Canadian shore of the Niagara River about 2 km upstream from Niagara Falls. It is...
. Like many other places in Niagara, it was renamed by John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada in 1792. The present name is taken from River Welland
River Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in eastern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The river is still occasionally referred to as Chippawa Creek, especially by those in the Chippawa area itself.
The Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
was named after the river since it originally was planned to link Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
to Welland River. The city of Welland, Ontario
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
was later named after both waterways, which cross in the city.
The river flows through two aqueducts, under the Welland Recreational Waterway
Welland Recreational Waterway
The Welland Recreational Waterway is a water channel in the city of Welland, Ontario, Canada. It is an old alignment of the Welland Ship Canal that has been abandoned after the construction of the Welland By-Pass in the 1970s. The Waterway is now managed by the Welland Recreational Canal...
and the new alignment of the Welland Canal. An important tributary of the river is Coyle Creek
Coyle Creek
Coyle Creek is a small, meandering waterway in Canada located in southern Pelham, Ontario that forms an important component of the Welland River watershed...
, a picturesque and thickly forested creek that flows into the river on the north bank. The oldest structure spanning the river was O'Reilly's Bridge, which was built in 1901 and crossed the river between the townships of Pelham and Wainfleet. O'Reilly's Bridge was a single-lane iron truss bridge, the only of its kind on the entire river, and one of the oldest iron truss bridges in Southern Ontario. O'Reilly's Bridge was demolished in 2010 and was replaced with a more modern, wider span.
Hydroelectric generation activities in the Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
region actually cause the flow in the lower section of this river to reverse, as seen in this satellite picture. Water is also diverted from Lake Erie into this river to supply power generation at DeCew Falls.