Herbicide use

Whenever necessary and following an environmental study of the host environment, Hydro-Québec will use herbicides on a selective basis to control incompatible vegetation. Herbicides are applied according to provincial regulations, including the Pest Control Products Act, the Environment Quality Act, the Pesticides Act and the Pesticides Management Code. The use of these products is also subject to guidelines set out by Hydro-Québec, including the environmental provisions that suppliers must abide by and which are more stringent than current regulations. The environmental assessment helps to determine the sensitive elements (wells, waterways, homes, etc.) for which Hydro-Québec will implement specific protective measures.

The herbicides used by Hydro-Québec are non-carcinogenic and do not accumulate in the food chain (through bioaccumulation). They are biodegradable and are therefore quickly degraded by the light and microorganisms in the soil. All of the products used by Hydro-Québec are approved by Health Canada for the use that is made of them. They are safe for humans and wildlife when applied according to the directions on the product labels.

The herbicides are applied selectively. Only large trees that could reach the electrical conductors are treated when they are still small (whenever possible). Many shrubs and bushes (e.g. dogwood, red currant, wild raspberry, viburnum, yew, hazel, grasses, etc.) are protected when the trees are sprayed. In the long term, the proper use of herbicides leads to a preponderance of grass and shrubs under rights-of-ways, thus requiring fewer interventions. Contrary to cutting, which increases the thickness of undesirable stems, herbicides prevent the reproduction of trees through clump shoots and root suckering.