River

Below Kingston Mills, once a waterfall, the Cataraqui River flows through large marshes and under Highway 401 to a shallow harbour before entering the eastern end of Lake Ontario. In the 1830s, the river was connected northward to the Ottawa River via the Rideau Canal. The river shoreline was altered by railway use, and the river has been polluted by tanneries and landfill leachate. But in recent years, more and more residents spend time along it or on it as they watch the sun rise, row or skate, count turtles, or watch goslings on parade.