Estrie partners mobilize to improve knowledge of groundwater

The National Institute of Scientific Research (NISR) and the Saintfrançois River Watershed Governance Council (COGESAF) have announced a project to Acquire Groundwater Knowledge in the Estrie area. The project, encompassing 10,690 km2 of territory, will end in March 2021 and aims to characterize the groundwater resources of the Estrie region.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and the Fight against Climate Change (MDDELCC) is contributing to the project with a grant of $1.5 million. In addition to supporting the INRS in this project, COGESAF is proud to count on the participation of the Chaudière River Basin Committee (COBARIC) as well as six of the seven MRCS in the Eastern Townships that are within the study area - Coaticook, Hautsaint-françois, Le Granit, Val-saintfrançois, Memphremagog, and Sherbrooke The project will also benefit from a partnership with MAPAQ and the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec (UPA).

All the partners as well as hundreds of municipalities in the project area have also been invited to participate in the workshop on Oct. 2 which aims to present the project and link it to local issues.

The PACES Estrie organization will provide the knowledge needed to promote better governance of groundwater and the data acquired, the maps produced, and the analyses recorded in a subsequent report will provide users with information on the quality and quantity of groundwater, as well as its vulnerability, recharge ability, runoff, and other important aspects of this resource.

Those wishing to consult the details of the project can do so by visiting the COGESAF website at http://cogesaf.qc.ca/paces-estrie/.