Petitcodiac Tidal Bore, New Brunswick, Canada

PETITCODIAC TIDAL BORE, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA

The Petitcodiac river is quite small relative to some of the great tidal rivers, yet its tidal bore has been renowned for several centuries. This is hardly surprising, since, with a 3000km² watershed, the river drains into Shepody Bay, the western finger of the Bay of Fundy, and home to the largest tides in the world. The Petitcodiac Riverkeepers describe the river as the 'source of life of the most important ecosystem in south-eastern New Brunswick'.

However, the construction of the Moncton causeway in 1968, to give the inhabitants of the town a route across the river, has devastated not only the wildlife and fish population, but it has also suppresed the great tidal bore.

Previously the bore would reach two metres in height, travelled at fourteen kilometres per hour and penetrated twenty kilometres upriver of Moncton, to the small town of Salisbury. But since the river flow has been restricted, the bore rarely exceeds two feet. The Riverkeepers are campaigning hard to restore the river system and bore to their former glory.

STATISTICS

LOCATION: 45º45'N, 064º35'W

MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 0.75 m (previously 2 m)

AVERAGE SPEED: 8 km h^-1

BEST TIME OF YEAR: Around the equinoxes

TERRAINE: Estuarine mud

FEAR FACTOR: *

MAPS

Bay Of Fundy, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

Petitcodiac River and Moncton, Courtesy Petitcodiac Riverkeepers

NOTABLE INTERNET SITES

The Petitcodiac Riverkeepers

Home to the principle force in negotiating the restoration of the Petitcodiac river, its wildlife and the tidal bore. Information on all aspects of the river, and worth a visit to help support a very important cause.