Kemptville Creek

Kemptville Creek is a stream in the municipalities of North Grenville and Augusta, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Ottawa River drainage basin, is a right tributary of the Rideau River, and is under the auspices of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

Kemptville Creek South Branch of the Rideau River
Kemptville Creek in the town of Kemptville
Location of the mouth of Kemptville Creek in southern Ontario
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Eastern Ontario
County	United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
Municipalities	North Grenville Augusta
Physical characteristics
Source	unnamed marsh
• location	North Augusta, Augusta
• coordinates	44°45′57″N 75°45′00″W
• elevation	112 m (367 ft)
Mouth	Rideau River
• location	Kemptville, North Grenville
• coordinates	45°03′21″N 75°39′15″W
• elevation	85 m (279 ft)
Length	69 km (43 mi)
Basin size	456 km2 (176 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Rideau River→ Ottawa River→ Saint Lawrence River→ Gulf of Saint Lawrence
River system	Ottawa River drainage basin

Kemptville Creek is 69 kilometres (43 mi) long and has a drainage basin of 456 square kilometres (176 sq mi). Portions of the drainage basin extend into other municipalities of Leeds and Grenville, such as Athens, Elizabethtown-Kitley and Merrickville–Wolford. The creek was historically referred to by the name South Branch of the Rideau River, until its name was changed to Kemptville Creek in 1908. However, the former name is still in use as of 2015.

Course

The main branch, also called the South Branch, begins northwest of the community of North Augusta in the municipality of Augusta, where it immediately takes in the right tributary Mud Creek. It travels north, passing into North Grenville near the community of Bishop's Mills.

Kemptville Creek at Oxford Mills

The North Branch begins at Cranberry Lake in Merrickville–Wolford, and flows northeast, passes into North Grenville as it flows through the community of Bishop's Mills, before joining the main branch northeast of the community.

Combined, the creek continues north through the community of Oxford Mills, where it goes over Oxford Mills Dam, flows under the Canadian Pacific Railway main line, heads through Kemptville, where it takes in the right tributary Barnes Creek, and reaches its mouth at the Rideau River. The Rideau River flows northward to the Ottawa River.

Recreation

The creek is navigable, for smaller watercraft, from the Rideau River to the town docks in Kemptville. In the summer it is also suitable for canoeing from Bishop's Mills to approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the south of Oxford Mills (rough-launch near the railway bridge, or at the dam in town). In the spring, it should be possible to canoe from Oxford Station Road (or further) to the Rideau River with one portage.

Tributaries

• Barnes Creek (right)
• North Branch Kemptville Creek (left)
  • Muldoons Creek
• Mud Creek (right)

Sources

• Map 11 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 700,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2014. Retrieved 2015-07-14.
• Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #5 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Archived from the original on 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2015-07-14.
• Municipality of North Grenville (PDF) (Map). Municipality of North Grenville. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2015-07-14.

External links

• Kemptville Creek Subwatershed Report 2013 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine from the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
• Photos from Mudpuppy night on the Kemptville Creek
• The Kemptville Creek anthem