Don River (Ontario)
The Don River is a watercourse in southern Ontario that empties into Lake Ontario, at Toronto Harbour. Its mouth was just east of the street grid of the town of York, Upper Canada, the municipality that evolved into Toronto, Ontario. The Don is one of the major watercourses draining Toronto (along with the Humber, and Rouge Rivers) that have headwaters in the Oak Ridges Moraine.
| Don River | |
|---|---|
The Don River and the Don Valley Parkway | |
Location of the mouth of the Don River in Toronto | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Cities |
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Oak Ridges Moraine |
| • location | Ontario, Canada |
| • coordinates | 43°59′20″N 79°23′57″W |
| Mouth | Keating Channel |
• location | Ontario, Canada |
• coordinates | 43°39′4″N 79°20′51″W |
• elevation | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Length | 38 km (24 mi) |
| Basin size | 360 km2 (140 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Keating Channel in the Toronto Harbour |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Lake Ontario→ Saint Lawrence River→ Gulf of Saint Lawrence |
| River system | Lake Ontario drainage basin |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Taylor-Massey Creek |
| • right | German Mills Creek, Burke Brook, Mud Creek, Yellow Creek, Castle Frank Brook |
The Don is formed from two rivers, the East and West Branches, that meet about 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Lake Ontario while flowing southward into the lake. The area below the confluence is known as the "lower Don", and the areas above as the "upper Don". The Don is also joined at the confluence by a third major branch, Taylor-Massey Creek. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is responsible for managing the river and its surrounding watershed.