EPERLAB Project: A collective effort to study and restore Rivière Boyer

Description

Local agricultural stakeholders will collaborate with researchers and the regional and municipal governments to restore the rainbow smelt spawning grounds at the mouth of Rivière Boyer on the St. Lawrence River. The research team will provide the participants with a set of diagnostic spatial reference tools to assess diffuse emissions of sediment and phosphorus linked to runoff and erosion processes that affect croplands and waterways. This pilot project initiative includes an economic assessment component focused on helping farmers change their cropping systems and document the associated costs.

Objective(s)

This project will spearhead three priority actions designed to

• support changes to cropping systems that minimize soil exposure during the critical runoff period (November to April);
• develop spreading methods that facilitate the incorporation of farm fertilizers, so as to avoid excess sediment enrichment and phosphorus runoff, and
• encourage the development and use of farmlands and waterways (hydro-agriculture management) in ways that minimize riverbank and waterway erosion.