{"id":37752,"date":"2022-06-09T15:42:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T19:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/?p=37752"},"modified":"2023-01-16T11:57:26","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T16:57:26","slug":"grande-descente-riviere-petite-nation-partage-equitable-eau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fondationrivieres.org\/en\/grande-descente-riviere-petite-nation-partage-equitable-eau\/","title":{"rendered":"A big descent of the Petite Nation River to demand equitable sharing of water"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRESS RELEASE<\/strong>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saint-Andr\u00e9-Avellin, June 9, 2022 <\/strong>\u2013 A mobilization bringing together municipalities, tourism industry players, riverside residents, canoeists and kayakers was held today to demand equitable sharing of water in the river region Little Nation. Around thirty participants are concerned about the low flow of the Petite Nation River and the lack of domestic water in summer in the regional county municipality (MRC) of Papineau and are demanding ministerial intervention. In a gesture of solidarity, they made a big trip down the river.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A minimum flow rate claimed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

D\u00fb au faible d\u00e9bit, le projet de Route bleue sur cette rivi\u00e8re, d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 par Canot Kayak Qu\u00e9bec, est en p\u00e9ril. La Route bleue a pour objectif de \u00ab\u00a0cr\u00e9er une exp\u00e9rience \u00e9cotouristique enrichissante, \u00e0 l\u2019aide de parcours pagayables s\u00e9curitaires, facilement accessibles, le tout dans un cadre \u00e9coresponsable\u00a0\u00bb, peut-on lire sur leur site Web.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the side of the Outaouais Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP), we are concerned about the impacts on ecosystems that low water levels could cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participants are demanding an interim measure providing for a minimum reserved flow of 15 m3<\/sup>\/s until an independent study, another wish expressed by the group, is completed. This is the minimum allowing for safe recreational use, according to the president of the Outaouais Canoe Camping and Whitewater Club Pierre Radisson, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Venne and co-organizer of the mobilization event.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe pride ourselves on having abundant water in Quebec, but that is not true everywhere. Here, the resource becomes scarce in the summer and we must rethink the sharing of its use across the watershed,\u201d indicates the director of Fondation Rivi\u00e8res, Andr\u00e9 B\u00e9langer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of domestic water\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Des citoyen.ne.s de Saint-Andr\u00e9-Avellin manquent d\u2019eau pour usage domestique par moments en p\u00e9riode estivale. \u00ab\u00a0Nous sommes de ceux qui n’ont plus d\u2019eau et qui voient les berges baisser \u00e0 vue d\u2019\u0153il\u00a0\u00bb, t\u00e9moigne le co-organisateur de la manifestation, Roch Parent, appuy\u00e9 par la porte-parole de l\u2019Organisation des riverains, Dominique Simard.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quebec must be an arbiter for the equitable sharing of water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Until now, the management of the dam by the municipality of Lac-Simon, upstream, was seen as the primary source of the low water problem in the river. An independent study on the ecological flow that must be reserved for the Petite Nation River is necessary to ensure the equitable sharing of water between the users of Lac Simon and the riverside residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suite \u00e0 des \u00e9changes infructueux avec Lac-Simon sur la gestion du barrage, le regroupement se tourne vers le d\u00e9put\u00e9 de Papineau et ministre de l\u2019Outaouais, Mathieu Lacombe, pour qu\u2019il intervienne dans le dossier.\u00a0 \u00ab\u00a0Il y a des solutions qui sont sur la table. La solution doit permettre \u00e0 tous, tant pour ceux d’en haut que pour ceux d’en bas, de profiter des berges. Ne rien faire viendrait \u00e0 dire que les gens d’en bas ont moins d’importance que ceux d’en haut\u00a0\u00bb, explique le maire de Saint-Andr\u00e9-Avellin, Jean-Ren\u00e9 Carri\u00e8re. S\u2019\u00e9taient aussi joints \u00e0 la mobilisation les maires de Duhamel, Papineauville et de Ch\u00e9n\u00e9ville, ainsi que des conseillers municipaux de Ripon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MP Mathieu Lacombe and the mayor of Lac-Simon did not respond to our invitation to participate in the event. The municipality of Lac-Simon has always maintained that it complies with the Dam Safety Act<\/em>. Minister Lacombe's office indicates that it is up to the MRC of Papineau to resolve this matter. Only the MP for Qu\u00e9bec Solidaire, Marie-Claude Latourelle, was present to demonstrate her support for the neighboring municipalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Regional Wetland and Water Environment Plan (PRMHH) of the MRC of Papineau must be submitted in the coming months, but no conservation measures would be planned for the Petite Nation River.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historical context\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Le d\u00e9bit de la rivi\u00e8re Petite Nation conna\u00eet des variations marqu\u00e9es en p\u00e9riode estivale depuis de nombreuses ann\u00e9es, d\u2019apr\u00e8s les donn\u00e9es de la station hydraulique situ\u00e9e \u00e0 Ripon. Dans les dix derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es, des p\u00e9riodes d\u2019\u00e9tiage sont observ\u00e9es en \u00e9t\u00e9\u00a0: en 2020, 109 jours ont \u00e9t\u00e9 comptabilis\u00e9s lors desquels la rivi\u00e8re coulait \u00e0 moins de 15\u00a0m3<\/sup>\/s, between June and September.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Outaouais Pierre Radisson Canoe Camping and Whitewater Club<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Based in Gatineau, the Pierre Radisson Canoe-Camping Club is a non-profit organization formed in 1977, whose objective is to bring together canoe-camping enthusiasts from the Outaouais region. Its members seek to share an exceptional canoe-camping experience in a team spirit while promoting the learning of canoeing and camping techniques, while respecting nature and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Fondation Rivi\u00e8res\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For 20 years, Fondation Rivi\u00e8res has worked to preserve, restore and enhance the natural character of rivers and contributes to ensuring water quality and access to water for the Quebec population.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signataires\u00a0:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n