The Bras du Nord-Ouest is a tributary of the west bank of the lower part of the rivière du Gouffre, flowing entirely in the city of Baie-Saint-Paul, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. This valley is mainly served by the route 138 which runs along the foot of Cap de la Mare. Besides the Baie-Saint-Paul residential area, agriculture is the main economic activity in this valley. The surface of the Northwest Arm is generally frozen from the beginning of December until the beginning of April; however, safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to the end of March. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood generally occurs in April.
From its source, the course of the North-West Arm descends on more or less parallel to the shore of the St. Lawrence River, with a drop of, according to the following segments:
towards the northeast by collecting some streams and the outlet from Lac Équerre, then branching north, until the outlet Lac à Foin and Lac Tremblay;
towards the north by forming a big S, then some curves, until the rivière à Idas ;
towards the north passing on the east side of the village of Saint-Placide-de-Charlevoix and collecting several streams, up to the Moulin stream;
first towards the north in a deep valley by collecting a few streams, branching towards the north-east to bypass a mountain whose summit reaches, up to a stream ;
towards the north-east in a less and less steep valley, forming a few streamers in the middle of the segment, forming a loop towards the north and entering urban areas at the end of the segment, to route 138;
towards the north-east by collecting the discharge from Le Petit Bras, crossing downtown Baie-Saint-Paul, to its mouth.
north-west of the confluence of the Rivière du Gouffre and Saint Lawrence River;
downstream of the confluence of the rivière des Mares and the rivière du Gouffre.
From the mouth of the North West Arm, the current descends on with a drop of following the course of the Rivière du Gouffre which drains to Baie-Saint-Paul in the St. Lawrence River.
Toponymy
This river is designated "Le Bras" in popular use by residents of the area. In French Canadian toponymy, particularly in the Charlevoix region, the term "arm" is frequently used in place of the generic "river". Formerly, this watercourse was designated "Bras Gariépy" or "Bras des Gariépy". This designation referred to a trading house located nearby and operated by Narcisse Gariépy around 1870. Topnymic variants: Bras Gariépy, Bras Nord-Ouest, Bras Nord-Ouest du Gouffre, Le Bras, Le Petit Bras, Rivière de l'Usine, Rivière du Bras, Rivière du Gouffre Bras Nord-Ouest, Rivière du Gouffre Nord-Ouest, Rivière du Nord-Ouest, Rivière Placide and Rivière Saint-Placide are variants of the official name. The toponym "Bras du Nord-Ouest" was formalized on August 17, 1978 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
