Adopt a river - Saint-Lawrence River

River Saint Laurent

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Your contribution allows us to continue to protect Quebec's rivers

The behemoth of the rivers of Quebec, the patriarch, the Great: the St. Lawrence River. It is there, majestic and imposing in its excess, physically, but also in our minds: everyone keeps a precious memory of it, maintains a special relationship with it. It has inspired a multitude of artistic works, hosted countless ships on its waters, and shaped land use planning like no other. Is there a river more emblematic for Quebec than the St. Lawrence River? Certainly not!

Do you know the St. Lawrence River?

Name :

Abenaki: Kchitegw (“big river”) or Moliantegok (“at the Montreal river”). Innu: Wepistukujaw Sipo. Mohawk: Roiatatokenti or Raoteniateara

Length

3,360 km

Source

Lake Superior

Region

About ten!

Average flow

12,600 m3/s (in Quebec)

Total elevation

183m

Watershed ⓘ

1,610,000 km2

Photo credit : François Haché – Yes Surf

Cradle of Quebec

The Saint Lawrence River was the route taken by explorers, including Jacques-Cartier who explored it for the first time in 1535. It was he who baptized it with the name by which we know it today 'today. The St. Lawrence has played an indispensable role in the history of Quebec (population, land use planning, etc.) so much so that in 2017, the Quebec government designated it a historic site.

Unparalleled biodiversity

The St. Lawrence has a rich aquatic ecosystem. Killer whale, seal, beluga whale, blue whale, etc. : Saint-Laurent Strategies estimates that it is home to 20 species of marine mammals and nearly 200 species of fish! This is without taking into account all the plant diversity that makes it up.

A river with a thousand faces

Near its source in the Great Lakes, the river is more often than not urban, allowing city dwellers to glide on its waters – in Montreal on Lake Saint-Louis, in Trois-Rivières on Lake Saint-Pierre, in particular. Diving, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, surfing, paddle boarding: when it comes to activities, it does it all! Going up towards the Gulf, its banks are stripped of road interchanges and condo towers to make way for green plains or rocky slopes. Dotted with lighthouses and islands, the river transforms into that of Orléans: from there, it widens and its fresh water slowly gives way to salt water. Its estuary is therefore agitated under the effect of the Moon which sculpts its tides.

Photo credit : Rafting Montreal, Jacline Paskero, Jean-Luc Riendeau

What are the environmental issues of the St. Lawrence River?

Water quality

Water quality leaves something to be desired in several sections of the St. Lawrence. Several agricultural industries, through runoff, contaminate the river with phosphorus and nitrogen, among other things. In more urbanized regions, we notice the presence of reverse connections, that is to say, residential or commercial sewer pipes connected to the stormwater network. In addition, we observe several overflow structures which overflow directly into the river. Result: untreated wastewater is discharged directly into our pretty river.

The Fondation Rivières made a evaluation of wastewater treatment works on the scale of the Richelieu River watershed and the Saint-Laurent zone (COVABAR) – between Longueuil and the MRC Pierre-de-Saurel – in order to identify sources of pollution of municipal origin. This study carried out in 2017 and 2018 continued in 2021 for a second term. The Foundation has achieved nearly ten such studies on tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.

Fondation Rivières monitored the bacteriological quality of water with rapid analysis technology at Verdun beach, for the Verdun district of the City of Montreal. This field monitoring was carried out in the summer of 2021 and continued the following year.

Fondation Rivières filed a memory to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada in 2021, in which it makes recommendations in favor of holding a federal regional assessment on the St. Lawrence. This study aims to better understand the cumulative impacts of pollution on the river.

The wastewater spill from the City of Montreal in 2015 raised passions, including at Fondation Rivières, which questioned the procedure used and the undue delays. Recommendations were sent to Environment Canada and its committee of experts. The Foundation's actions, which were highly publicized, made it possible to reduce the duration and volume of wastewater discharged without treatment.

However, even in “normal” times, spills occur throughout Quebec. In 2020, Fondation Rivières developed a tool to disclose the list of municipalities that stand out in terms of the intensity of their wastewater discharges into waterways, including the St. Lawrence River. Indeed, considering that the largest cities in Quebec are established near the river and that the rivers end their course there, enormous quantities are discharged there. This exercise makes it possible to distinguish municipalities which have improved their situation in previous years from those where the situation has deteriorated. THE prize list serves as a lever to encourage elected officials to make the necessary corrections to improve the health of the rivers into which wastewater is discharged.

Can we swim in the St. Lawrence River?

Considering the surface area of the banks of the St. Lawrence, there are certainly several access points to the water allowing you to swim for free and in complete safety. In the surroundings of Montreal, it is possible to swim in Parc-nature du Cap-Saint-Jacques, at the Parc-nature du Bois-de-L’Île-Bizard and to the Verdun beach. Further east, to the Berthier-sur-Mer beach, has Notre-Dame-du-Portage beach and many others…

Providing access to water for everyone

The Saint-Laurent may be large, but access to it for swimming remains limited in urban areas. If the high flow of water sometimes prevents swimming, it is also the lack of development, the privatization of the banks or political will which hinders it.

The Fondation Rivières studied the bacteriological quality of the river water at the height of Repentigny, Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel and Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel in 2022. The objective: to assess the potential of opening bathing areas there, to propose a bathing protocol if possible.

If the water quality was not suitable for swimming in Repentigny, it was suitable for dry weather in the Sorel region!

In Montreal and Laval, the Foundation has created a bathing potential map. Without resorting to sampling, the Foundation instead used existing data on the water quality of the river, the Rivière des Prairies and the Mille Îles to make the public and elected officials aware of the great potential in this area. access to water if these Cities gave themselves the means to address the issues that affect water quality (e.g. reverse connections, wastewater overflows, etc.).

En 2023, la Fondation Rivières s’est jointe à l’Association citoyenne pour l’accessibilité de la plage de Batiscan pour faire reconnaître par tous et toutes du droit de profiter librement de la grève publique de Batiscan. Nous continuons de lutter pour l’accès à la plage avec eux.

Every summer, the Fondation Rivières participates in the organization of various Grand Splash on the banks of the St. Lawrence. This was particularly the case in Trois-Rivières, Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel, Saint-Lambert, Montreal… as well as in Quebec, where finally, a port bath was built! If swimming makes it possible to adapt to heatwaves that are becoming more and more frequent with climate change, it also helps ensure water quality: to open a bathing site, a municipality must commit to ensuring its quality!

Loss of biodiversity

Following the introduction of the round goby into the St. Lawrence River approximately 30 years ago, the species became invasive. This is also the case for many aquatic plants, such as the common reed (Phragmites australis). Then, the populations of St. Lawrence belugas are declining dangerously, to the point that the species is now on the verge of extinction. This decline is closely linked to climate change and the presence of contaminants in water.

Bank erosion

The river has always been an important shipping route. Waves generated by boats amplify bank erosion, making land along the river vulnerable to landslides. Water quality is therefore at greater risk of being affected by contaminant runoff.

Photo credit : The Flâneurs

Help us by adopting the St. Lawrence River

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Charity receipt

Fondation Rivières issues tax-deductible donation receipts, regardless of the amount. A receipt will be sent to you by email at the beginning of the year following the year of your adoption.