Characterization of sediment inputs and suspended material in Atlantic salmon habitat

During an initiatve to characterize suspended material in Gouffre River watershed, it was revealed that several tributaries of the river contained levels that far exceeded standards and that the water quality is deteriorating with input from tributaries. Also, the suspended material concentration of several tributaries is well over the lethal threshold for salmon. The suspended material characterization campaign revealed that loss of agricultural soil, bank erosion and insufficient width of riparian strips seem to be the main cause of the problem. The goal of this project is to characterize sediment and suspended material input from Gouffre River tributaries in order to get the information needed to prioritize and carry out remediation work to decrease the MES level in salmon habitat.

Contact: Jeff Goulet, 418-821-7056, jeff.goulet@charlevoixmontmorency.ca