Environmental balance sheet for Varennes-Contrecoeur submitted to Des Seigneuries ZIP Committee

Varennes, November 30, 2000 - The partners of the governments of Canada and Quebec in the St. Lawrence Action Plan Vision 2000 (SLV 2000) made the environmental balance sheet for the Varennes-Contrecoeur sector public today. The balance sheet provides a summary of the knowledge available on this part of the St. Lawrence ecosystem. Francine Trépanier, Chair of the des Seigneuries Zone d'intervention prioritaire (ZIP) [priority action area] committee, accepted the document on behalf of the many organizations and individuals from the community involved in the conservation of the St. Lawrence.

The Varennes-Contrecoeur sector begins at the Îles de Varennes, just above the confluence of the St. Lawrence and the rivière des Prairies and ends upstream of lac Saint-Pierre, on the northern border of Lanoraie, some 45 kilometres downstream. The area includes ten riverside municipalities, six on the north shore and four on the south. It shares a border with four regional county municipalities (l'Assomption, Autray, Lajemmerais and Bas-Richelieu) and in 1996 had a total of 112,896 inhabitants, including Tracy.

The regional balance sheet for the sector is based on four technical reports that list the characteristics of this part of the St. Lawrence, stressing sources of contamination, biological resources, uses and potential for development as well as the risks to human health associated with the various uses made of the St. Lawrence.

The preparation of the four technical reports made use of data made available by various federal and provincial government departments that are partners in SLV 2000, concerning which a third five-year agreement was signed in June 1998. The departments in question are Environment Canada, Health Canada, the ministère de l'Environnement du Québec, the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec, the ministère des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole du Québec and the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec.

This balance sheet constitutes a tool that can be used in making decisions to determine joint priorities for conservation and ecological restoration in the Varennes-Contrecoeur area. It is designed for the public, industry, municipalities and non-government organizations that wish to become involved in the conservation of their natural heritage.

In this regard, the des Seigneuries ZIP committee will host a regional consultation with the public on December 1 and 2 at Repentigny City Hall, 435, boulevard Iberville, in Repentigny, for the purpose of determining priorities and the measures to be taken in implementing an ecological restoration action plan (ERAP) for this area.

Members of the public can obtain copies of the regional balance sheet for Varennes-Contrecoeur and register for the upcoming public consultation by contacting the Co-ordinator of the des Seigneuries ZIP committee, Luc Robillard, at (450) 755-1651. The regional balance sheet can also be accessed directly on the SLV 2000 Internet site at the following address: www.slv2000.qc.ca

Suzanne Bourget
Environment Canada
(418) 649-6510

Raymonde Goupil
Ministère de l'Environnement du Québec
(418) 521-3823, extension 4912

(Également offert en français)

ENVIRONMENTAL BALANCE SHEET VARENNES-CONTRECOEUR

The Varennes-Contrecoeur sector extends from the Îles de Varennes, just upstream from the confluence of the St. Lawrence and rivière des Prairies, and ends at the northern boundary of Lanoraie, 45 km away. Although this segment is relatively straight and is on average 2.2 km wide, it is as much as 4 km wide opposite Contrecoeur.

Although predominantly rural, the territory has been marked since the 1960s and the 1970s by extensive urbanization on the north shore, primarily focused on Repentigny and by two industrial centres concentrated at each end of the sector on the south shore (Varennes and Contrecoeur). The territory is also marked by the use of a shipping channel that has helped to change the flow of the St. Lawrence over the last few decades.

As far as pollution is concerned, various efforts have been made by the main industries in the sector and closures of businesses and relocations of activities have helped to reduce the pressure exerted by local sources of contamination. The processing of effluent upstream from the sector has also helped substantially to improve water quality even though the impact of urban discharges is a matter of concern. Thus, the bacteriological quality of the water still leaves something to be desired, especially near the mass of waste discharged by the Montreal Urban Community (MUC), which pass through the sector in the direction of the river’s flow.

Besides a few windows onto the St. Lawrence and certain access sites for nautical activities, the sector has few tourist attractions and there is no integrated tourist and recreational circuit that would enable people to gain the maximum possible benefit from its attractions. Moreover, public access to the River is limited as a result of substantial private ownership of the banks.

Finally, the banks, especially in the island areas, offer a wide range of biodiversity (wetland, birds and fish) and the 74 islands in the sector offer undeniable attractions.

The Varennes-Contrecoeur sector includes more than 2,000 hectares of wetlands consisting primarily of aquatic herbs and water meadows, which are necessary for the reproduction or feeding of many animal species.

The sector could shelter as many as 28 of the 155 species considered to have priority under St. Lawrence Vision 2000 (SLV 2000), the presence of some of which such as the northern pintail, yellow sturgeon and American eel has been confirmed.

Part of these highly valuable wetlands enjoys legal protection: the Contrecoeur Islands National Wildlife Sanctuary, recently expanded to include more islands, and the former île Saint-Ours Migratory Bird Sanctuary (312 ha) and the Lanoraie Peatbog Ecological Reserve (415 ha).

Part of the area subject to flooding has been recognized as a wildlife habitat for fish. The purpose of this status is to reduce disturbance of this environment.

Three private conservation organizations have also assumed responsibility for the islands in order to protect wildlife by purchasing lands or concluding agreements with landowners.

Several islands in the sector are still unprotected, including île Bouchard, île Marie and Île Ronde opposite Saint-Sulpice, as well as Îles aux Cerfeuils, au Bois blanc, à la Pierre and Saint-Laurent.

The channels in the archipelago are rich environments for the spawning and early stages of fifteen or so fish species.

The predominant species of fish are the yellow perch, white sucker, brown bullhead and northern pike.

The sector is part of the migratory journey of the yellow sturgeon, American shad and American eel, the last two of which travel from saltwater to freshwater.

145 species of bird nest in the sector (e.g.: pied-billed grebe, common moorhen) and the Varennes archipelago is a major site for this avian diversity.

This sector of the St. Lawrence is less frequented by migratory wildfowl even though thirteen species reproduce there (Canada geese, eight species of tip-up duck and four of diving duck).

The islands off Contrecoeur account for most of the wildfowl nesting sites in the sector although the nests are subject to substantial predation by small mammals; elsewhere on other islands there is substantial pressure from agriculture.

The marshes and aquatic herb beds in the sector are very popular during the spring and fall wildfowl migrations.

Ref.: Regional balance sheet, Chapter 3

The sector extends from Repentigny to Saint-Joseph-de-Lanoraie on the north shore and from Varennes to Tracy on the south shore; it includes ten riverside municipalities (including Tracy, which also extends into the lac Saint-Pierre Zone d’intervention prioritaire (ZIP) [priority action area].

These municipalities are part of four different regional county municipalities (RCMs): Autray, L’Assomption, Bas-Richelieu and Lajemmerais.

In 1996, the population totalled close to 112,896 inhabitants (including almost 12,773 in Tracy).

Rural activities predominate throughout the sector (69%), far ahead of urban and industrial activities (respectively 13% and 5%) concentrated primarily in Repentigny, Contrecoeur and Tracy, as well as in the centres of municipalities or in former villages such as Varennes and Lavaltrie.

In the sector only four industries are referred to in SLV 2000 as being still active, excluding the four industries in Tracy that discharge their effluent into lac Saint-Pierre. Another industry is located just upstream and three others have closed down or relocated their activities outside the study area.

The active industries in the sector are involved in metallurgy and organic and inorganic chemicals.

The water in this part of the River is used for transportation by ship and for harbour activities in Contrecoeur as well as for drinking water supply to Lavaltrie, Verchères, Varennes and Contrecoeur (the other municipalities use water from smaller rivers or groundwater).

Nautical activities also depend on the River and the available water level: besides the four main marinas recorded in the sector, there is also at least one access ramp to the water for small craft in each municipality, excluding the two parishes.

Sport fishing seems to be a pastime of many people who live along the River in the sector, although data on this activity are incomplete; commercial fishing, on the other hand, has almost disappeared from the sector.

Ref.: Regional balance sheet, Chapter 5

The risk of consuming fish caught in the sector is minimal as long as people observe recommendations concerning fish consumption; however, because of the presence of mercury in the flesh of fish, it is recommended that consumption of predatory fish (northern pike, wall-eyed pike, smallmouth bass) and of American eel be limited.

No risk is associated with the consumption of wildfowl meat but caution is advised because of the need to remove lead shot before the meat is eaten.

The river water that is treated and distributed by municipal water systems in the sector meets provincial and federal requirements; almost 94% of the population of the sector is served by such systems (no epidemic was recorded between 1989 and 1997 and no order was issued by the Quebec Department of the Environment (MENVQ) in the summer of 2000 in respect of any municipality in the sector).

Because of the poor bacteriological quality of the water, activities involving contact with the water such as bathing, motorboating, water skiing and wind surfing pose risks to health, especially if they take place near the plume of outflows from the MUC.

The risk of flooding is still present in almost all the municipalities in the sector when the water crests in a 0-20 year cycle along the St. Lawrence and nearby rivers (L’Assomption and Richelieu).

The risk of riverbank collapse is very strong in the sector, primarily because of erosion; a number of stabilization projects have been implemented to mitigate the effects (e.g. building rock walls between Varennes and Verchères).

Ref.: Regional balance sheet, Chapter 4

Discharges from municipalities and industries that are still active in the area of the study and those activities that have ceased contributed to the contamination of the St. Lawrence and its tributaries.

The sector includes six hazardous waste disposal sites in riverbank municipalities; three other sites located outside the sector can still make an impact on the St. Lawrence through a tributary (rivière l’Assomption).

The site of the port of Contrecoeur has been assigned an average priority in terms of environmental interest in decontaminating the site.

Contamination from upstream in the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes basin should be added to local sources consisting of wastewater discharged by the major urban centres in Quebec (primarily the Montreal Urban Community and the municipalities on the south shore) and contamination associated with the main tributaries in the sector: rivières des Mille îles, des Prairies and L’Assomption, which are impacted in different ways by urban and agricultural activities.

In the early 1990s. there was concern about the presence of PCBs and DDT, toxic organic substances that persist in the environment and attention was also paid to the abundance of nitrites, nitrates and phosphorus that cause excessive growth of aquatic plants.

The abundance of faecal coliform bacteria in the water, primarily as a result of discharges of MUC waste is still greater than the levels established to ensure that activities involving contact with the water such as bathing are healthy.

The flow conditions in the sector mean that potentially contaminated fine sediments do not accumulate apart from deep ditches near the Contrecoeur islands, where certain metals including cadmium might be more common.

Benthic communities that react to contamination of the environment were also very disturbed near the east bank of île Sainte-Thérèse in the early 1980s.

Filling in and drying out of banks have led to the loss of 142 ha of riverbank or aquatic habitat.

Changes made to the riverbed by deepening the shipping channel and maintenance dredging has disturbed or led to the disappearance of 1,773 ha of additional aquatic and riverbank habitat (bringing the total loss to 1,915 ha).

Some 34% of the riverbanks in the sector under study are considered to be artificial.

Wetlands that are important to flora and fauna require conservation efforts, especially on the islands.

The wake of passing ships serves to exacerbate the erosion of banks in the sector that is the part of the St. Lawrence that is worst affected in this regard; it also contributes to the disappearance of herb bed habitats and stirs up sediments in areas where the water is not deep.

Ref.: Regional balance sheet, Chapters 4 and 5

The main organic and inorganic chemical industries as well as metallurgical industries still active in the sector that discharge their effluent directly into the St. Lawrence or along its tributaries have substantially reduced their toxic discharges.

In early 1998, 78% of the people on the riverbank were served by one of six wastewater treatment plants established in the sector, not including the town of Tracy, which is wholly served by the Sorel water treatment plant.

The Contrecoeur Islands National Wildlife Sanctuary, the Lanoraie Peatbog Ecological Reserve and the île Lebel regional park.

All or part of certain islands in the sector protected by these non-government organizations (NGOs) (e.g.: Île aux Cochons, Île aux Moutons, Île Beauregard).

A strip of the riverbank in the flood plain recognized as being a conservation area by the RCMs.

A few sites recognized as wildlife habitats for fish and areas in which waterfowl concentrate.

Access points to the marinas, launching ramps and public wharves are the central focuses for water activities in the sector.

Some island sites have definite potential for exploitation (e.g.: Île Sainte-Thérèse).

Public and private sites for the protection of wildlife tend to have been created in increasing numbers in recent years (e.g.: Lanoraie peatbogs, expansion of the Contrecoeur Islands national wildlife sanctuary, private islands managed by NGOs).

Ref.: Regional balance sheet, Chapters 4 and 5

Continue with industrial and municipal clean-up programs already under way.

Promote the protection or restoration of wetlands.

Monitor the effects of the presence of ship transportation and upstream sources of contamination (including sources of tributaries).

Monitor and control fishing activities because of the marked pressure on populations of certain species, especially the yellow sturgeon.

Continue with efforts to improve physical access for the public to the River and its banks.

Ref.: Regional balance sheet, Chapter 6

November 2000