Identification of a Wetland Network to Support Stormwater Management and Suspended Solids Reduction in Quebec City

In light of the accelerated deterioration of the water quality in Lake Saint-Charles, which supplies 50% of Quebec City’s drinking water, Laval University joined the City in proposing a feasibility study to identify a network of wetlands able to catch and filter runoff from rain events of different durations and frequencies. The study will be conducted by a team of Laval University researchers in conjunction with the Quebec City water and environment department and various local partners, including the Organisme des bassins versants de la Capitale (OBVC), the Association pour la protection de l’environnement du lac Saint-Charles et des Marais du Nord (APEL) and Ducks Unlimited. Systematic planning tools will be used to classify the wetlands to be protected based on their contribution to stormwater management and, more generally, to the protection of Quebec City’s water resources. Hydrological modelling will also be used to calculate the watershed’s capacity to eliminate the entire volume of runoff for 90% of all rain events within 24 hours and to estimate the quantity of suspended solids that can be intercepted. The project will also identify wetlands that could play a major role in stormwater management if they were restored and identify areas where the creation of wetlands would greatly benefit Quebec City. The proposed project encompasses the Quebec City agglomeration and the entire Saint-Charles River watershed. The feasibility study is aligned with a number of Quebec City plans and policies, such as its sustainable development strategy and its master plan for natural environments and the urban forest. Once the study is completed, Laval University will recommend changes in the City’s planning documents and those of neighbouring municipalities like the agglomeration’s urban development plan, the urban development plan of the MRC de la Jacques-Cartier and various city, town and municipal urban planning by-laws. (Project description from original funding application)