November 7, 2024 – 03:00
Destruction of Plein Champ stream and a wetland
Mechanical excavators trapped
Par: Sarah-Eve Charland
By wanting to cut down trees discreetly, an owner of a residence on avenue Boullé in Saint-Hyacinthe was caught in his own game. The mechanical excavator used to cut down the trees, without prior authorization from the authorities competent, got stuck in a marsh a few meters from the Plein Champ stream, thus alerting the Ministry of the Environment.
After a first excavator got stuck, a second one was used to try to remove the machinery, but it also got stuck in the swamp. The alleged objective was to cut down trees, an operation which had not been authorized by the City of Saint-Hyacinthe.
In addition to affecting the state of Plein Champ Creek, hydrocarbons were spilled into a wetland. Although the state of the waterways falls under the MRC des Maskoutains, the file was transferred to the Ministry of the Environment given the extent of the damage. On October 30, a worker from Urgence-Environnement and environmental control inspectors from the Ministry of the Environment intervened on the site in order to document the interventions carried out and to identify the measures necessary to protect the environment. They returned on October 31 and November 1.
Among other things, sediment barriers were installed during the removal of the shovels to limit the release of contaminants into the watercourse. The Ministry also took samples to check for the presence of suspended matter.
A first shovel was removed on November 1st. However, the Ministry noted traces of hydrocarbons near the smaller excavator. Mitigation measures have therefore been put in place to limit contamination of the watercourse. The second shovel was removed on November 5, according to information given by the Ministry.
“The Ministry closely monitors the file to ensure that appropriate measures are taken for the recovery of contaminants and the restoration of the site,” adds the Ministry’s communications advisor, Caroline Cloutier.
For the moment, it is still too early to know whether sanctions will be taken against the responsible owner, either by the Ministry of the Environment or by the City of Saint-Hyacinthe. The event is still being analyzed, we are told.
Bad vaudeville
On the other side of Plein Champ Creek is the Saint-Hyacinthe Golf Club. According to the general director of the Golf Club, Bruno Chicoine, between 20 and 30 trees were cut down. The city and the ministry have not confirmed this number. Mr. Chicoine recounts the unfolding of the disaster.
“They used the small mechanical excavator to pull on a tree with a rope. They went backwards and backwards and backwards until they got bogged down in the damp environment. They used a larger excavator to get the machinery out, but it also got stuck. It was funny, but at the same time, it’s not funny,” he describes.
The people behind this blunder did not damage the golf club grounds. “There was already a lot of sediment at the bottom of this stream. We already had problems with the watercourse because it sometimes flooded the golf course. It’s certain that by moving earth like that into the stream, it will cause overflows,” he fears.
The owner of the land on which the excavators got stuck had not returned our call and had not responded to our message at the time of going to press.
