Sustainable water management within Lanoraie wetland watershed

Description

The SCELANEAU project aims to analyze technical solutions for reconciling water withdrawals for crop irrigation and maintaining the hydrological and ecological functions of the Lanoraie peat complex. The targeted territory covers 364 km², straddles 7 municipalities and includes a 76 km² peat complex whose recent evolution, as well as the prospects for evolution in a context of climate change, are worrying: summer drying, gradual transformation of the typical vegetation from a bog to tree vegetation. The general objective of the project is to develop and assess the feasibility and relevance of technical scenarios aimed at reconciling the agricultural uses of water (and other users) and the maintenance of the hydrological functions of the Lanoraie peat complex in a context of climate change.

Objective(s)

• Document spatially and temporally water withdrawals, in particular those for the irrigation of horticultural, market gardening and fruit crops, but also for industrial, commercial, institutional and residential uses;
• Understand the current and future flow dynamics in the region of the Lanoraie peat complex;
• Quantify the effects resulting from the application of intervention scenarios (containment, work on drainage infrastructure, etc.) on water levels in the peat hydrosystem;
• Evaluate the feasibility (technical, economic and environmental) of diversifying water supply sources, in particular the withdrawal of water from the St. Lawrence River.