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NEWSLETTER |
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The area where the St. Lawrence narrows, between the Montreal Archipelago and the Sorel Islands, is currently being targeted for action by a newly formed ZIP committee (ZIP stands for Area of Prime Concern). The Des Seigneuries ZIP Committee is committed to making this part of the St. Lawrence better known and to promoting a public examination of how this region can be best protected, restored and developed. Based on public consultations carried out in December, priorities for action in the area have already been set.
The future of the section of the St. Lawrence between Varennes and Contrecoeur on the south shore and Repentigny and Lanoraie on the north was the topic of a recent workshop held by the Des Seigneuries ZIP committee with the theme of "The St. Lawrence, a community concern." Regional and community groups were invited to express their opinions on these topics at the workshop, which was held on December 1 and 2, 2000 at the Repentigny city hall. It attracted over one hundred participants, who participated in defining priorities for protecting, restoring and developing this section of the St. Lawrence. The Des Seigneuries ZIP Committee was created under an initiative by the Corporation de l'aménagement de la rivière L'Assomption (CARA), a cooperative, community-based organization in the Lanaudière region with a solid reputation acquired over the last 18 years in its work on developing and restoring the L'Assomption River. An environmental assessment provides an up-to-date portrait of the region As is the traditional practice, the regional workshop was a chance for the Quebec and federal government partners to release their environmental assessment for the region. Specialists reported that water pollution in the region was on the way down, due to clean-up measures undertaken by a number of industrial plants and municipalities both upstream from and inside the region in question. Urban wastewater is still the source of significant bacteriological contamination, however. Contamination is particularly high within the plume of municipal wastewater released by the Montreal Urban Community (MUC), which crosses this section of the St. Lawrence.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of this part of the St. Lawrence is the presence of over 70 long, low-lying islands, between which meander shallow channels. These islands contain highly diverse wildlife habitats and are home to a large number of plant and animal species of interest, including many species of ducks. The shallow waters around the islands are also used by many fish species for spawning and fry rearing. The islands, with their surrounding beds of aquatic vegetation, are fragile ecosystems. They constitute the main natural ecosystems of concern in the section.
Some islands are protected due to their ownership, either by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service or by private conservation organizations. The Contrecoeur Islands are protected by virtue of their status as a national wildlife area. Other islands have been used since the 17th century for farming, which may limit their use by wildlife. On the other hand, agricultural use has probably helped to preserve the islands from uncontrolled urban development up to now. Islands across from the shipping channel are exposed to waves from the wakes of ships. Such wave action is partly responsible for the severe shoreline erosion observed in this part of the river. Bank stabilization techniques to counter erosion are being tested. The shipping industry has also recently adopted voluntary speed reduction measures.
According to the environmental assessment, public access to the river is highly limited in this region. In addition, there is no integrated recreation and tourism route to enhance the value of the shoreline and its attractions. Furthermore, a large percentage of the banks on both sides of the river have been shored up with artificial structures and are no longer natural. At the invitation of the ZIP committee, several regional players also presented information of special interest to the workshop, although it was not directly related to the regional assessment. Christian Morissonneau, a geographer and historian, explained how, according to his research, this region has the greatest number of ancestral seigneuries in Quebec, hence the name of the ZIP committee. A group of students and graduates from Collège Saint-Paul in Varennes spoke of their work with the Freshwater Fish Ecowatch Network, a project carried out in cooperation with the Biosphere. Lastly, Réjean Dumas, from Quebec’s wildlife and parks corporation, the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec, showed the importance—based on the example of the spawning grounds for the lake sturgeon in the L'Assomption River watershed—of taking account of tributaries in managing the St. Lawrence. A profitable exercise After the environmental assessment was presented, the workshop participants took part in an exercise to define priority actions. A total of 21 actions were retained in the workshop.
Participants in the workshop on wildlife and habitats stressed the need to popularize, for the general public, knowledge on critical habitats for wildlife frequenting the river and its shoreline and tributaries, to promote greater respect of these habitats. The importance of supporting environmental groups working to conserve the islands was also stressed. Restoring natural ecosystems and taking better account of the presence of rare or endangered species when undertaking projects in the region were also discussed. Concerning environmental contamination and its consequences on human health, disinfecting the wastewater from the MUC’s outlet was particularly of concern to partic ipants. It was proposed that steps be taken with the responsible authorities and different government departments involved in order to promote the improvement of the quality of urban wastewater. The decontamination of the Contrecoeur industrial area, the reduction of agricultural pollution in the L'Assomption River watershed and the limitation of pesticides used in the municipal and agricultural sectors were also discussed. The L'Assomption River was also the target of a recommendation to control hog and bovine manure. Lastly, participants examined the issue of access to the St. Lawrence, recommending the establishment of a recreation and tourism corridor (including a bicycle path) on both sides of the river. In view of the fact that a number of recreational activities are currently limited by the poor bacterial quality of the water, a recommendation was made to clean up the wastewater from the MUC outlet. Participants also outlined the importance of stabilizing and renaturalizing the river banks, particularly on the islands; of surveying and characterizing contaminated sites; and of developing a certain number of beaches, which would be frequented by more and more people as the water quality was improved. Lastly, the importance of young people participating in ZIP committee activities was stressed. Next step: formulating an action plan The priorities identified in the regional workshop will be the basis of the first Ecological Remedial Action Plan (ERAP) formulated by the Des Seigneuries ZIP Committee. The ERAP will be used not only to guide the committee’s work in the next few years but also to promote the mobilization of all the players in the region in question, based on the presence of a strong consensus on the content of the action plan. For more information, contact: Luc Robillard,
Coordinator Sources: ROBILLARD, Luc. 2000. "Protection et mise en valeur du Saint-Laurent. Le milieu favorise certaines actions," Journal des berges, December 19, 2000, p. 21. ROBITAILLE, Jean. 1998. Regional Assessment. Secteur Varennes -- Contrecœur. Zone d'intervention prioritaire 10. Environment Canada – Quebec Region, Environmental Conservation, St. Lawrence Centre, 92 p. |
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