Image: Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert Project
Link: Eastmain-1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert Project Home Page
Image: Environmental protection
  Introduction
Image : Protecting our human environment and heritage
  Navigation
  Hunting, fishing
and trapping
  Social aspects
for Crees
  Drinking water
in Waskaganish
  Sport fishing
and hunting
  Mercury and health
  Archaeology
  Forestry
  Landscape
Image : Protecting species diversity and the biophysical environment
  Fish
  Birds
  Moose and caribou
  Beavers
and bears
  Special-status species
  Banks
Image: Supervision
  Environmental
compliance
  Site restoration
Image: Environmental follow-up
  Objectives
Protecting species diversity and the biophysical environment
Fish

Image: Environmental follow-up
Fish communities will be monitored to ensure that species diversity and abundance is maintained and to check the efficiency of the spawning grounds created and the instream flow. If the monitoring reveals an unexpected impact or shows that an impact was underestimated, the impact will be studied jointly with the Crees and the relevant authorities, and corrective action will be taken quickly.

The follow-up in the Rupert diversion bays and reduced-flow section will include:
  • fish population dynamics
  • usage of existing and new spawning grounds
  • lake cisco and lake sturgeon larvae drift
  • regeneration of aquatic grassbeds
  • accessibility for fish of the tributaries of modified water bodies
  • accessibility of the fish passes at the KP 223 and 290 weirs.
The follow-up in the increased-flow section will include:
  • usage of the spawning areas created downstream of Sarcelle powerhouse
  • sustainability of the existing spawning ground at the mouth of the Boyd River.
Image: Actions Imgage : Nos raisons d'agir
In the reduced-flow section of the Rupert River
 
A 29% instream flow will be restored downstream of Rupert dam.
The instream flow will protect most of the lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, walleye, sucker and pike spawning grounds.
A blanket of granular material will be laid at KP 20.4.
The granular blanket will protect the anadromous lake cisco spawning ground; this species spawns every fall downstream of Smokey Hill Rapids.
Seven weirs will be built.
The weirs will mainly protect fish feeding and rearing habitats.
The following will be developed:
  • four spawning areas that can be used by various species near the KP 110, 170 and 223 weirs and downstream of Rupert dam
  • a lake sturgeon spawning ground near the KP 290 weir
  • several brook trout spawning areas in the Rupert River tributaries
Image : Concept d'aménagement / Frayère à esturgeon
 Despite the construction of weirs below Rupert dam, the flow reduction will cause habitat loss. The new spawning grounds will sustain the species present.
Seeding with lake sturgeon fry will involve:
  • production of sturgeon larvae and young-of-the-year
  • release into the Rupert River downstream of Lake Nemiscau.

Reduced flow may decrease sturgeon productivity.

Seeding will improve species reproduction in a place where they used to be abundant.
In the Rupert diversion bays
  
The following will be developed:
  • three lake trout spawning areas
  • two lake sturgeon spawning areas
  • several multispecies spawning areas
Image : Concept d'aménagement / Frayère à Touladi
 The creation of a new 346-km2 body of water will cause an overall gain in fish habitat. Some spawning grounds will be flooded, but they will be replaced to maintain fish reproduction and diversity in the area.
Schedule of mitigation measures
Spawning ground development: 2009 and 2010.
Production and seeding of sturgeon fry: 2008 to 2012.



Lake sturgeon: a long-lived species
Lake sturgeon is a species of special interest. In the north, these fish can live more than 80 years. The age at first spawning is about 25 for males and 30 to 40 for females. Reproduction frequency is about 6 years for males and 10 years for females. Lake sturgeon is of major environmental interest and is likely to be designated a vulnerable species. It is highly prized and only Cree fishermen are allowed to fish for sturgeon in the James Bay region.
Image : Lake sturgeon
Anadromous lake cisco
The anadromous lake cisco population feeds in Rupert Bay and James Bay in spring and much of the summer. Many of these fish travel up the lower Rupert River in August and September to spawn downstream of Smokey Hill Rapids. The project will have little effect on the large lake cisco spawning ground in the Rupert River at Smokey Hill because of the instream flow and rock blanket, which will maintain water levels over more than three kilometres of the spawning ground.
Image : Anadromous lake cisco


Link: Hydro-Québec' Home Page