New Sherbrooke regulation requires shoreline restoration by October 2019

The City of Sherbrooke has adopted new regulations requiring property owners to restore the banks of local waterways to a natural state by October of next year. In order to maintain healthy ecosystems, shorelines must be restored over a distance of five meters for gently sloping land and 7.5 meters on steeply sloping banks. Approximately 3,500 landowners whose properties are crossed or bordered by a waterway will have to comply with the new regulations.

Initially, the new rules required the completion of the natural restoration of shorelines by October 31 of this year but the City Council has agreed to postpone the deadline a year so that property owners have two summers to comply.

The natural restoration of shoreline forces owners to stop cutting grass along the water’s edge and to plant native species adapted to shoreline conditions so as to cover the entire area of the artificial shore. This planting work requires a municipal authorization certificate that is issued free of charge.

The City of Sherbrooke will undertake several actions to support property owners in their efforts to revegetate their shorelines.

Most owners affected by the new regulations will receive an automated phone call, followed by a letter and a guide in mail in the coming weeks. This detailed guide explains the regulations and gives planting tips. It can also be consulted online at sherbrooke.ca/rives. At this same address, Sherbrookers find a lot of relevant information (in French), including an interactive waterway management map that locates and identifies waterways on their property.

In addition, the City will distribute plants to property owners. Each owner affected by the new regulation will be eligible to receive a tree and four or five shrubs free of charge. The distribution of these will take place on two Saturdays, May 26 and June 2, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Jean-charles-côté Centre, at 555 Grandes-fourches St. South. This activity will be combined with training workshops and information booths for homeowners.

"I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: I have the protection of the environment at heart,” said Mayor Steve Lussier. ”The natural restoration of our shoreline will require some effort on the part of the owners, but we will do our utmost to help them improve our waterways so that the entire Sherbrooke community benefits."