Good news! Our application for funding to continue the Parent Creek Renaturalization project has been accepted.

The project team of ACRE, CREDDO and Enviro Lac Gauvreau have secured $75,000 from the Program to restore and create wetlands and watercourses from the Quebec Ministry of the Environment, Fight against Climate Change, Fauna and Parks. The goal of the program is to “fund preliminary studies and projects for the restoration and creation of functional, perennial wetlands and watercourses”.

This funding is in addition to the Green Fund grant from the Municipality of La Pêche. Another bid for funding from the EcoAction Community Funding Program was unsuccessful.

This funding ensures our continued investigation of the best method for re-meandering Parent Creek and re-establishing wetlands. These efforts aim to decrease silt and sediments going into the lake and increase the filtration of nutrients that get into Parent Creek, the source of 90% of the water in Lac Gauvreau. It will also help increase the capacity of Parent Creek to absorb more water from extreme weather events and increase habitat for fish and other wildlife.

Excess silt and nutrients in the lake create ideal growing conditions for algaes and plants like Milfoil. These conditions eventually speed up the otherwise natural process of eutrophication (dying).

Work is ongoing with Terre et Habitats, who completed field work in June. Their report is expected later this Fall. We are also speaking with some landowners to see if they are interested in being part of the pilot project. Through collaboration, we can support the health of the lake!

August 26, 2024 Test Results Show Improved Water Quality

Enviro Lac Gauvreau (ELG) regularly tests several locations in the lake for E.coli. The map above shows the E.coli levels for each spot tested.

Test results from August 26th show reduced E. Coli levels at Baie Ste-Anne resulting in swimming advisory being called off.

Results received from the lab showed that samples taken on August 19 indicated levels that were unusually elevated. Samples taken in Baie Ste-Anne were well above the level for safe swimming according to the standards set by the Province of Quebec. Residents were advised to avoid swimming in this area, as well as around the mouth of Parent Creek.

We suspect that these high levels of E.coli were the result of run-off from recent rainstorms. We have also reported the dangerous levels in Parent Creek to the Municipality.

> Visit our Water Quality Monitoring webpage

Let’s get to know some of the fish that live in Lac Gauvreau!

Fish, like all animals, need places to find shelter and food, grow, and reproduce. Let’s get to know some of the fish that live in Lac Gauvreau and the habitats on which they rely. Our activities can impact the habitats and health of these fish
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Our lake is inhabited by northern pike, musky, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass to name a few.  You may have been lucky enough to catch and eat some of these fish, and we hope that you, your children and your grandchildren will continue to enjoy fishing here long into the future.

The northern pike and musky are both fish that spawn in the springtime. The northern pike spawns first, immediately after the ice melts, when water temperatures are between 5-10°C. Pike breed in shallow, vegetated, flooded areas and during spawning they randomly scatter their eggs, which then attach to the vegetation. Musky spawn a bit later, usually between April and June, when water temperatures are 10-15 ºC. They also spawn in shallow weedy bays but unlike northern pike, newly-hatched muskie fry don't attach to vegetation for support. Musky fry are sessile (unable to swim) for ten days after hatching. Should environmental conditions become de-oxygenated during this period, they would not be able to relocate, and would die. Also, both pike and musky eggs are susceptible to poor water quality, predators, and sedimentation. 

Smallmouth bass is another sport fish that is known to live in the lake. They spawn later than pike and musky, in late spring to early summer when water temperatures range between 13-20 ºC. The male bass selects a spawning site with a sandy or gravel bottom, typically in water less than 10 feet. The male will clean off debris from the lake bottom to create a circular nest with his tail. The female bass will lay eggs in the nest and then depart to leave the male with all the work of rearing the young! The male will guard and defend those eggs and fry 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without taking a break to eat. He’ll also fan the eggs to prevent sedimentation from suffocating them.

Any disturbance to an area where fish have laid their eggs, including an increase in sediment, can prevent the eggs from getting enough oxygen to develop into fry. Sediment suspended in the water can also clog fish gills and obscure vision, making it difficult for fish to find food and see predators. In Canada, the federal Fisheries Act provides for the protection of fish habitat and under this law, no one may carry out any work that harmfully alters, disrupts or destroys fish habitat, unless authorized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Similar laws are in place in Quebec, which gives fish habitat legal protection under the Wildlife Habitat Regulations.

Free plants! Pick up May 11 morning
Planting shrubs and trees on the shoreline absorbs nutrients before they get into the lake. High nutrient levels result in excess plant and algae growth, decrease oxygen for fish, and speed up the aging of the lake. It is against the law in Quebec to remove natural vegetation within 10m of the shore.

That is why we are once again giving away free plants to residents who are restoring their shorelines. You can find an inventory of available plants here (PDF). Also, please visit our Restore Your Shoreline webpage.

See our latest emailed newsletter to find out where to pick up your free plants on May 11, 2024 from 10 am - 12pm noon. There will be cold drinks and a chance to chat with Enviro Lac Gauvreau Board Members and fellow neighbours who are all working together for the health of the lake. 

What else can we do to protect our lake?
• Do not spread fertilizers on your property
• Buy only phosphate-free detergents
• Pump your holding tank at least 2 times a year

Thank you for all you do to ensure the continued health of Lac Gauvreau!

Save the date for the Annual General Meeting
The meeting will take place on Zoom on Saturday July 6, 2024. Visit our Membership webpage to update your membership before then so you can vote on our updated Bylaws and other decisions we have to take.

Native plants have been ordered
This year we will be giving away free plants again. You’ll be able to choose your plants in March!

A natural shoreline helps filter nutrients before they reach the lake. Too many nutrients in the lake decreases water quality, reduces oxygen for fish and allows milfoil and algae to proliferate.

Consider replacing sand, grassy lawns, and retaining walls with shrubs, trees and plants within 10-15 meters of the water. This will also make you compliant with municipal bylaws to avoid any fines once the municipality starts enforcing the shoreline bylaw.

There are templates for what a healthy shoreline looks like on our website as part of the Anne Leech Shoreline Revitalization Project. Visit this webpage for more information.

Parent Creek project update
Since the first big blue green algae bloom 20 years ago we have known there is a problem with Parent Creek. Run-off from farms reach the lake because it was straightened into a drainage ditch in the 1960s. Now we are developing partnerships with some farmers, CREDDO and ACRE to work together to restore Parent Creek. Re-meandering parts of the Creek will allow vegetation to regrow, making it a better filter.

Last week our application was submitted to the Quebec Ministry of Environment’s “Programme de restauration et de création de milieux humides et hydriques” for funding Phase 1 - Planning which includes hydrology studies. Once the first phase is complete, we can apply for funding for Phase 2 - Implementation.

Happy New Year Lac Gauvreau residents! Here at the lake we have a beautiful blanket of snow

The Municipality of La Pêche’s Green Fund supports innovative community projects that, for example, manage waste and protect water. Funding from the Green Fund has supported various projects over the years aimed at slowing down the eutrophication process that has sped up on our lake.

What is eutrophication?
Eutrophication is a natural aging process that takes place over tens of thousands of years. Eutrophication is the extreme end of the spectrum on a scale that goes from oligotrophic (young) to mesotrophic (middle aged) to eutrophic (old).

Too much of a good thing…
Although there is nothing wrong with phosphorus and chlorophyll in the water, the effects are determined by the quantity. Too much of a good thing accelerates aging and, eventually, the lake becomes too acidic to support life. Too much of these nutrients also creates the ideal conditions for milfoil. Perhaps these pesky plants wouldn’t be so bad, except they grow so pervasively that they quickly crowd out other plant life in the lake and contribute to the reduction of oxygen and sunlight in the lake. With limited factors needed to support this biodiversity, the chemical composition of the lake changes, becoming toxic to humans.

Our lake has been characterized as mesotrophic
Unfortunately, the process from mesotrophic to eutrophic can happen very quickly, which is why we monitor the nutrients that cause the process to speed up. We also measure the transparency of the lake to identify where the lake is at in the aging process.

This is, in a nutshell, the science behind our initiatives to:

• Restore natural shorelines with native plants which filters nutrients from coming into the lake.
• Re-meander parts of Parent Creek to slow down deposits of silt loaded with nutrients in the lake.
• Reduce motorboat traffic and speeds in the shallower parts of the lake to reduce the release of "locked up" nutrients attached to the silt on the bottom of the lake that gets stirred by propeller wash and wake.
• Sending you all warm wishes as the weather turns down for the winter.

These are some of the priorities for the year and we’ll continue to let you know how these are affecting lake health.

Below is a more detailed presentation led by ABV de 7 on YouTube.