Consolidation work to secure residents of Baie-Saint-Paul on the banks of the Gouffre River began this week and will last four weeks.
“We would have liked to have started earlier, but we had not received permission from the Ministry of Environment. There was a good wait. We are repairing what was broken in the floods to regain the same level of safety as before. There are walls in particular that have been damaged. The hydrological studies carried out will allow us to find lasting solutions for the coming years,” explains Daniel Desmartaux, director of public works for the city of Baie-Saint-Paul.
The consolidation work and the cleaning of the river are two separate tasks. Cleaning is also underway here. It is produced by Coop de l’arbre and Katabatik.
“The two companies are working to clear anthropogenic waste and tree piles that can cause ice jams during heavy rain. They have to clean around fifty specific locations,” adds Mr. Desmartaux.
For this portion, the City of Baie-Saint-Paul received $288,326 from the Resilience and Adaptation Program
against flooding (PRAFI) from the Government of Quebec, accounting for 75% of the $384,434 bill. However, she must draw the amount of $96,108 from her discretionary surplus.