The bras Sec (English: Dry Arm) is a tributary of the rivière du Moulin, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Ministuk, in the Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. The course of the Sec arm crosses the northwest part of the zec Mars-Moulin.

Bras Sec
Bras Sec is located in Quebec
Bras Sec
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Regional County MunicipalityLe Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality
Unorganized territoryLac-Ministuk
Physical characteristics
SourceLac Catelier
 • locationLac-Ministuk
 • coordinates48°03′00″N 71°09′43″W / 48.049974°N 71.16199°W / 48.049974; -71.16199
 • elevation671 m (2,201 ft)
Mouthrivière du Moulin
 • location
Lac-Ministuk
 • coordinates
48°07′01″N 71°03′41″W / 48.11694°N 71.06139°W / 48.11694; -71.06139
 • elevation
330 m (1,080 ft)
Length26.2 km (16.3 mi)
Discharge 
 • locationSaguenay
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • left(from the mouth) Discharge of Le Grand Lac, lac à la Tripe and lac Vénus.

The small valley of the Bras Sec is served by a few secondary forest roads, especially for forestry and recreational tourism activities.[1]

Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second.

The surface of the Dry arm is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to mid-March.

Geography

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The main watersheds neighboring the Sec arm are:

Le Bras Sec rises at the mouth of Lake Catellier (length: 0.5 km (0.31 mi); altitude: 671 m (2,201 ft)) in a forest area in the zec Mars-Moulin. This landlocked lake between the mountains is located at the southwestern limit of the zec Mars-Moulin, that is to say:

  • 2.4 km (1.5 mi) north of the forest road R0287;
  • 2.7 km (1.7 mi) west of the course of the rivière du Moulin;
  • 4.3 km (2.7 mi) north-east of the course of the Cyriac River;
  • 5.3 km (3.3 mi) north-east of a curve on route 175;
  • 10.6 km (6.6 mi) south-west of the confluence of Bras Sec and rivière du Moulin;
  • 11.2 km (7.0 mi) north-east of the course of the Pikauba River.[2]

From Lac Catellier, the Bras Sec flows over 26.2 km (16.3 mi) with a drop of 341 m (1,119 ft) entirely in the forest zone, according to the following segments:

Upper course of the Bras Sec (segment of 18.1 km (11.2 mi))

  • 1.3 km (0.81 mi) to the north, bending slightly to the east to go around a mountain, to a stream (coming from the west);
  • 5.8 km (3.6 mi) making a difference in height from 180 m (590 ft) first to a bend in the river, then bending towards the northeast, to a stream (coming from the South);
  • 3.0 km (1.9 mi) north-west passing west of a mountain and past a forest camp, to a stream (coming from the west);
  • 6.8 km (4.2 mi) towards the north by making a detour towards the west to go around a mountain whose summit reaches 450 m (1,480 ft), up to a bend of the river, corresponding to a stream (coming from the south);
  • 1.2 km (0.75 mi) north, to a stream (coming from the west);

Lower course of the Bras Se (segment of 8.1 km (5.0 mi))

  • 0.8 km (0.50 mi) eastward, to the outlet (coming from the north) of Le Grand Lac, lac à la Tripe and lac Vénus;
  • 3.4 km (2.1 mi) south-east, until a discharge (coming from the south-west) from a stream;
  • 3.9 km (2.4 mi) towards the south-east by collecting two streams, to its mouth.[2]

The Sec arm flows into a bend in the west bank of the rivière du Moulin, near (west side) of Coupau lake. This confluence is located at:

From the mouth of the Sec arm, the current successively follows the course of the rivière du Moulin on 52.7 km (32.7 mi) generally north, then the course from the Saguenay River on 126.1 km (78.4 mi) eastwards to Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence Estuary.[2]

Toponymy

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The term "Sec" (English: Dry) refers to the fact that in certain periods of drought, this stream is almost dry.

The toponym "bras Sec" was formalized on June 29, 1983, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Open Street Map - Accessed January 25, 2019
  2. ^ a b c d "Atlas du Canada du Ministère des ressources naturelles du Canada - Characteristics extracted from the geographic map, the database and the instrumentation of the site - consulted on = 26 January 2019". 12 September 2016.
  3. ^ Commission de toponymie du Québec - Bras Sec