Current Projects
ABV des 7 is currently participating in several project:
This project started in 2007 as part of the Plan of action against blue-green algae 2007-2017 developed by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, following the increase of cases of cyanobacteria in lakes of the Gatineau River Watershed.
For more information about cyanobacteria, you can visit the website of MDDEP
Project Cyanobacteria Objectives
The general aim of this project is to increase public awareness of blue-green algal bloom and to detect, report and to prevent cyanobacteria outbreaks. It aims to inform the population about the reality of cyanobacteria in our water systems and it aims to educate the population about the most effective measures which should be adopted to reduce cyanobacteria and is effects. Furthermore, the project aims to encourage citizens, organizations and local authorities to develop common strategies to allow for a better understanding of the state of our waters and to develop effective ways of protecting them.
2009-2010 Action Plan
For the year 2009-2010, ABV des 7 is financed by the Quebec Government, through ROBVQ, to help to increase public awareness of cyanobacteria concerning lakes where blooms were detected in 2008 for the first time. These lakes are the following: Lac Bernard & Lac des Loups (Municipality of La Pêche), Lac Castor Blanc (Municipality of Aumond), Lac Gauvreau and the lake without toponym called Cadieux (Municipality of Messines), Lac Pythonga (Municipality of Lac-Pythonga), Lac Pope (Municipality of Mont-Laurier), Lacs Lachaine, McGregor and McMullin (Municipality of Val-des-Monts).
For these lakes, ABV des 7 provides brochures and signs to raise awareness about the riparian shoreline zone (all brochures can be downloaded at the end of this section).
Riparian Reforestation
The riparian strip is the transition between the aquatic and terrestrial environments. It has an important function in protecting lakes and in preventing the proliferation of cyanobacteria. A riparian strip with natural trees, shrubs and plants has the capacity of filtering excess phosphorus and nitrogen; stabilizing the bank and thus preventing erosion, retaining water so that it penetrates into the ground and providing shade to prevent solar heating of water and finally, to assure a suitable environment for the fauna and the flora. Understanding the key rôle of reducing phosphorus in water is import in raising awareness with the residents to reforest the river and lake banks.
ABV des 7 provides financing for riparian reforestation workshops «Revitalise ta rive», given by biologist Annie Parent. These one-day workshops are given at a resident’s place that wishes to reforest his riparian strip. The morning part of the workshop is reserved for a reforestation course: role of a riparian strip, planting methods and types of shrubs to use, planting techniques for the stabilization of banks… The afternoon is dedicated to planting native plants according to the specific plan established for the riparian strip.
The proposed plants are native or naturalized shrubs. These species are adapted to almost all types of soils and do not require any fertilizer. They are available at “La Pépinière Nature-Valley”.
You can download these cyanobacteria related documents:
Brochures
Blue-green algae – Guide for Outaouais residents
Je protège mon héritage…. Je végétalise ma bande riveraine !
Les algues bleu-vert dans nos plans d’eau
Fleur d’eau visible ? Des précautions à prendre pour vous et votre famille
- Etudes : click on the images to download
Inspections of waterside properties 2007, lac Paradis – lac Pope – lac du Neuf – lac Gatineau,
by Edith Beauchemin, Assistant Inspector in Environment and Building under the supervision of Julie Richer, Director of District Planning
Caractérisation de la bande riveraine et étude du basin versant du lac Edja,
produced by the Société Sylvicole de la Haute-Gatineau, October 2007
Diagnose du lac Pope, municipalité de Mont-Laurier,
by Annie Raymond, Biologist B.Sc. November 2007
Suivi de la pétition de 2007 pour supprimer les phosphates des détergents,
by Pauline Fontugne for ABV des 7
Dossier de revégétalisation des berges,
by Pauline Fontugne for ABV des 7
IDeaux :
Project IDeaux (Integration of development policies for water, urban development & planning with regard to aquatic areas) is a research program started in 2007 with cooperation between France and Quebec. This program was set up to respond to a shared observation from local managers and their partners: that there was a disassociation between planning and water management policies as well as with planning policies in general.
Broadly speaking, the study concerns the various ways of water management resulting from water policies at different jurisdictional levels resulting from Provincial and Federal planning and development policies. The objective of this study is to assess the actual situation and to develop tools which will allow an integrated management of resources and territory at the watershed scale and beyond, and this will be a guide for other watersheds in France and Quebec. These tools will be useful to manage the water resource in crisis situations, for example, one resulting from climate change.
IDeaux is divided in 3 stages:
Assess and compare the management processes in France and in Quebec in order to identify and evaluate all existing mechanisms for water management.
Organize workshops between planners and researchers to describe step-by-step the repositioning of major agencies in both France and Quebec (from the perspective of the control authority, as well as the project management (government) and the private sector operators.)
Make all actors aware of their responsibilities and identify conditions and ways to encourage them to improve their understanding of all the implications in water management.
Reforestation :
The purpose of the reforestation project is to facilitate the distribution of trees to organizations that promote reforestation in the Agency of 7 Watersheds territory. This project is part of the Intervention Plan on blue-green algae and is coordinated by le Regroupement des Organisations de Bassin Versant du Québec (ROBVQ) in partnership with its members.
2010
Approximately 18000 trees were distributed on June 2nd in the whole territory of ABV des 7.
2009
In 2009, almost 15,000 trees were distributed on the ABV des 7 territory in order to restore riparian strips, encourage the reforestation and by the same way fight against blue-green algae. Here are the municipality which benefit from the project:
- Maniwaki (30)
- Messines (1795)
- Gracefield (2000)
- Lac-Sainte-Marie (2600)
- Chelsea (1900)
- L'Ange-Gardien (6375)
