BAPE

PUBLIC HEARING BEGINS APRIL 15, 2003

Québec City, April 2, 2003 – The Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) Commission, composed of Nicole Boulet, Chairperson, and Louis Dériger, Commissioner, hereby announces the first part of the public hearing on the proposed maintenance dredging between Hudson and Oka in Lac des Deux-Montagnes by the Ministère des Transports will begin on April 15, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. The hearing will run April 15 and 16 at the Hudson community center, located at 394, rue Main in Hudson, and April 17 at the Oka mayor’s offices, located at 183, rue des Anges in Oka.

The Commission has a maximum of four months—from April 7 to August 7, 2003—to carry out its mandate. The BAPE will submit its report to the Minister of the Environment no later than August 7, 2003.

A two-part hearing

The public hearing will proceed according to usual BAPE procedure, that is, in two distinct parts. The first part is designed to enable the public and the Commission to define all of the aspects involved in the project.

The second part of the public hearing, scheduled to begin May 12, 2003, the Commission will gather public’s opinions and suggestions. At this time, it will hear any individual, group or municipality wishing to voice its views on the project in the form of a brief or an oral presentation.

Project

To maintain navigation safety and ensure continued ferry service between the north and south shores of Lac des Deux-Montagnes, the Ministère des Transports proposes dredging the Hudson – Oka ferry channel, between Baie de Como and Oka point. The maintenance dredging, which the promoter considers necessary every 15 years, would be done in Lac des Deux-Montagnes in the municipalities of Hudson and Oka. The last dredging dates from 1984.

The project involves dredging an area totalling 36 378 m2, which corresponds to a sediment volume of approximately 26 185 m3 in the channel and both extremities. On the Oka side, dredging would be carried out over a length of 90 m, either side of the wharf, and over a width of 100 m. One the Hudson side, it would stretch over a length of 485 m and include two zones: the docking area, which would be dredged over a width of 70 m, and the central channel, which would be dredged over 60 m. Dredging would cover 6 678 m2 on the Oka side, representing a sediment volume of 6 710 m3, and 29 700 m2 on the Hudson side, representing a sediment volume of 19 475 m3. Almost all sediment would be discharged in an open-water site located downstream of the channel. Only 327 m3 of sediment would be taken from the aquatic environment and disposed of in an appropriate land site.

The promoter plans to carry out the work in October and November 2003, over a period not exceeding eight weeks. Total project costs are estimated at $750 000.

Documentation available

All documents related to the project are available for consultation at the following locations: