Preliminary studies underway to restore Ruisseau Desjardins in Limbour

Sophie Demers 

Preliminary studies will have begun on Ruisseau Desjardins, formerly known as Ruisseau Laurin, to get a better understanding of how to restore it. The Conseil Régional de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable de L’Outaouais (CREDDO) has partnered with Firm Rivières along with the City of Gatineau to apply funding received from the Ministry to restore the creek. 

CREDDO recently announced that $74,975 has been provided by the Ministry through their program focused on the restoration and creation of wetlands and water environments. The funding will allow the organizations to carry out preliminary studies such as an ecological characterization study, a hydrogeomorphological study, cost estimations, and consultations with residents and local associations. 

The creek has been severely degraded due to urbanization in the area. Raphaële Cadieux-Laflamme, Project Coordinator for Natural Environment Conservation for CREDDO, explains that natural creeks form a series of “S” shapes, but Desjardins Creek has straightened out over the years, which impacts water flow and the health of the natural area. If the project moves forward, the goal would be to give the creek space to flow naturally again and restore 9,230 square meters of the creek. 

The studies began this fall and will continue in the coming months. Once data is collected, the studies will be put together to send to the Ministry. Cadieux-Laflamme says that they should be sending the studies to the provincial government by the end of next summer. 

Then, next fall, CREDDO will apply for funding to carry out the restoration work. There are still many steps before restoration work can begin. Cadieux-Laflamme says CREDDO anticipates restoration work will be able to start in three years. 

“Projects like these are complex and take a lot of time, resources, and money," said Cadieux-Laflamme. “Restoration is the last resort. It is important that we focus on conservation to avoid this work in the future. Conservation is much simpler than restoration.”