Lakes at dangerously high levels, debris floating on the surface, “very very brown” water.
At the start of the construction holiday, it is indeed the urgency that these days restricts access to lakes Memphremagog and Massawippi, in Estrie, and not the desire to scare away tourists from these places very popular with motorboat enthusiasts.
This is the portrait painted by Michèle Gérin, figurehead of the environmental fight at Lake Massawippi for 14 years, who bowed out last year.
“Today, I don’t see anyone on the lake, and anyone who ventures there by motorboat and comes to make waves there would be really very badly seen,” says M.me Gérin, who says he is speaking here in his capacity as a simple resident.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Michèle Gérin, at Lake Massawippi last summer
“In 60 years, I have never seen the lake so high,” she says.
The last days have been difficult for the residents of the region. Residents had to put away their wharves and their boats and often clean their land.
“And you don’t need to be a biologist to understand that now is probably not the time to swim in Lake Massawippi,” she says, pointing out that the color of the water is not very inviting.
When I also hear about all those places in Quebec where the sewers have overflowed, I wonder what the water quality is in the surrounding bodies of water.
Michele Gerin
Good question, but at the end of the week, impossible to find out and reach anyone at the Ministry of the Environment.
Limit wastewater discharges
Johanne Lavoie, president of the organization Memphrémagog Conservation, says that already, last week, also being wary of the quality of the water, she made sure “to go under the shower immediately afterwards”, when she had to go into the lake to secure her dock.
The large amounts of rain of the last few days have caused a whole mixing of sediments in Lake Memphremagog, note Mme The way. Added to this are the effects of recent deluges in Vermont. And that’s without taking into account the little-known fact that the largest garbage dump in Vermont “is at the head of Lake Memphremagog”, which raises concerns about the leachate (the juice of waste, what) which is feared that it goes to the body of water.
The level of Lake Memphremagog is so high that since July 12, the City of Magog has issued notices asking all its residents served by the water distribution and sewer networks to reduce their consumption of drinking water as much as possible to limit wastewater discharges into the sewer networks.
Citizens are asked to use drinking water outside peak hours and to reduce the use of baths, showers, toilets, dishwashers and tap water as much as possible.
Direction the beach, then, to change the ideas? “There are no more beaches in Magog. They are submerged,” replies M.me The way.
“On Lake Memphremagog, in recent days, whole docks were floating, chairs, tree trunks…”, she notes again.
Beyond any consideration of water quality, these days, it is therefore directly nautical safety that imposes restrictions on navigation, according to her.
Disappointment for boaters
For Francis Girard, who is vice-president of the Quebec Sportfishermen’s Association, it’s a disappointment.
He certainly understands that the situation is exceptional in the Eastern Townships and that the water level could, these days, justify the occasional closure of boat launching ramps.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Francis Girard, vice-president of the Quebec Sports Fishermen’s Association
What he does not understand, however, is that the boat launch ramps are inaccessible, and have been for several days already, “but that navigation for residents is authorized” at Lake Memphremagog.
On its website, the City of Magog asks residents to “limit browsing as much as possible”, but without prohibiting it.
In the circumstances, where can boaters go? Mr. Girard complains about the growing difficulty of having access to bodies of water, even in normal times. (Several municipalities charge fees for access to boat ramps, often under pressure from residents exasperated that the lakes are mobbed by lots of noisy motorboats.)
Just a few years ago, “on the St. Lawrence River, there were about thirty places where people could put their boat in the water. There are only six or seven left.
“It is not us, the fishermen, who go around in circles on the lakes and who make waves”, notes Mr. Girard, admitting in the same breath to be sorry that “some settler fishermen leave junk on the ground” after their passage.
For many people who were finally planning to set sail in July, the construction holidays begin under sad auspices.