This spring is located on the west side of the hamlet "L'Espérance", on the north slope of the Notre Dame Mountains.

From its source, the Bras Saint-Nicolas flows over 45.5 kilometres (28.3 mi), divided into the following segments: Upper course of the river Lower course of the river The Bras Saint-Nicolas empties onto the south-eastern bank of the rivière du Sud (Montmagny).

In a lower segment, parallel to the St. Lawrence River, the Bras Saint-Nicolas meanders at an altitude of about fifteen meters, crossing a stronghold granted in 1672 to Nicolas Gamache by the intendant Jean Talon.

In 1815, Joseph Bouchette also identified it by the same generic, a term used to designate a tributary or a subdivision of a watercourse.

[1] The toponym "Bras Saint-Nicolas" was made official on December 5, 1968, at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.