The MacKoot Project

KOOTENAY RIVER SYSTEM

MACKENZIE RIVER SYSTEM

The Kootenay River is 780 kilometers long, 508 of which run in BC, where it drains a watershed of 37,685,73 sq. km. Kootenay Lake, however, is 407 sq. km. This lake is the second largest lake in British Columbia. The deepest point of Kootenay Lake, just southwest of Lockhart Beach, is 504 statute meters.

The Mackenzie River is the longest river in Canada covering a distance of around 1800 km. The entire Mackenzie river system extends 4250 km and drains 1.8 million sq. km. It is the fourth largest of all river systems discharging into the Arctic Ocean (the three largest are in Russia). The traditional name of the Mackenzie River is Deh Cho.

The Kootenay River:

	starts in the Rocky Mountains, at the foot of Castle Mountain, just west of Banff
	flows south into Montana and turns west and north through Idaho
	crosses the border back into Canada just south of Creston
	flows both into and out of Kootenay Lake
	is part of the Columbia River drainage system, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Portland, Oregon.
	has about 8 dams

The Mackenzie River is the world’s 10th largest river. It is sometimes called the Amazon of the north. The Mackenzie:

	starts at Great Slave Lake
	meanders north and west for 1,060 miles to the Mackenzie Delta and into the Arctic Ocean at Inuvik
	transports one fifth of Canada’s fresh water
	it is almost 4 miles wide in some spots
	ferries are used to transport vehicles across the river
	gathers the water of a hundred mountain rivers

KOOTENAY LAKE

GREAT SLAVE LAKE

Kootenay Lake is a long, narrow and deep lake between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains. Two big rivers run into it: The Duncan River from the north and the Kootenay River from the South. The water runs out of the lake half-way up, past Nelson. This part is called the West Arm, and that turns into the Kootenay River again. It's deepest point is found just southwest of Lockhart Beach and is 504 meters deep.

Great Slave Lake, covering 28.750 square kilometers, is the fourth largest lake in Canada (and the fifth largest lake in North America). It is also the deepest, reaching a maximum depth of 614 meters. More than half the population in the Northwest Territories live near its shores, and fish from its waters support subsistence, sport and commercial fishing.

The chart below was created by Jesse, using an Excel worksheet.
It compares the lake and river sizes.

Maps used with permission: National Atlas of Canada website (National Resources Canada)

Comparing Two Great Rivers Systems:
The Kootenay and the Mackenzie

A Collaborative Project between
the Grade 6 students of Erickson School in Erickson, BC, and
the Grade 4/5 students of École Allain-St Cyr in Yellowknife, NWT

Last Updated 10/05/03

Comparing Two Great Rivers Systems: The Kootenay and the Mackenzie

A Collaborative Project between the Grade 6 students of Erickson School in Erickson, BC, and the Grade 4/5 students of École Allain-St Cyr in Yellowknife, NWT

Last Updated 10/05/03

Comparing Two Great Rivers Systems:
The Kootenay and the Mackenzie

A Collaborative Project between
the Grade 6 students of Erickson School in Erickson, BC, and
the Grade 4/5 students of École Allain-St Cyr in Yellowknife, NWT