“In recent weeks, vacationers along the lake have learned that they are surrounded by agricultural land,” says Yves Bonneau, one of the local vacationers. One of the lots was recently sold and the forest was cleared to produce blueberries. I am not the only one to be worried, because the crop could contaminate the groundwater, which supplies the water intake of around forty chalets, with pesticides. »
According to Yves Bonneau, the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini or the MRC Maria-Chapdelaine should have slowed down the project as a precautionary principle, to have expert opinions produced to ensure that there is no impact on drinking water. In addition, he is also concerned about seeing a wetland destroyed, as well as the fate of the fauna, which was present in the microforest.
“It’s alarming to see deforestation approaching us,” notes Dany Hébert, another resident of the area. “It’s sad for the recreational and tourism development of the sector.”
While other blueberry and cranberry projects are being developed in the area, the two men wonder how far agricultural development will go.
The response of elected officials
The prefect of the MRC of Maria-Chapdelaine, Jean Morency, is sensitive to the concerns of residents of the sector, but the blueberry industry is one of the distinctive forces allowing economic development in the territory. “The territory is zoned agricultural and producers have the right to cultivate their land while respecting environmental constraints,” he says.
The entrepreneurs have all the permits in order and they respect the standards to carry out their blueberry project, assures the mayor of Dolbeau-Mistassini, Rémi Rousseau. “We will ensure that the regulations are respected,” he said.
The town of Dolbeau-Mistassini recently sent a message to area residents. “Although the resort has developed there over time — which constitutes an asset for the City and the population of the sector — agricultural activities remain a priority,” we could read there.
To encourage cohabitation in the sector, Jean Morency suggests reactivating a proximity table “to improve common understanding” of the different stakeholders.
Develop as a good neighbor
The land in question is located at the corner of route Vauvert and rue de la Pointe in the Vauvert sur le lac sector, in Dolbeau-Mistassini, where other blueberry farms are already established. Potato producers are also located nearby.
The former owner, who had already developed part of the lot into a blueberry field, recently sold the land to three entrepreneurs, Dany Gaudreault, Pierre-Luc Villeneuve and Rémi Mathieu.
The latter harvested the forest on an additional fifty acres to transform the site into a blueberry field, but part of the land, covering an area of eight acres, was sold. “We wanted to facilitate good neighborliness,” notes Rémi Mathieu, adding that his permit would have allowed him to transform everything into a blueberry patch.
Thus, the entire area on the other side of the stream will not be affected. In addition, the developers will leave a riparian strip of around twenty meters, following the natural curves of the plateau, in order to limit the flow. The standard in agriculture is to maintain a three meter strip. “We respect all the standards and we do even better,” notes Dany Gaudreault.
Least worst culture
“The production of blueberries requires few fertilizers and pesticides when we compare with other productions such as potatoes, corn or field crops,” says Pierre-Olivier Martel, agronomist and specialist in fruit horticulture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ).
Regarding the risk of water contamination, a product called hexazinone raises some concerns, because it is a water-soluble product and it degrades slowly in the soil. “It’s a product that can leach out and end up in the water table,” notes the agronomist.
A sampling campaign was carried out from 2002 to 2009 to quantify the levels of the product in drinking water sources near blueberry fields. While the permitted limit is 400 mg/l, analyzes detected quantities of 0.3 mg/l. “It’s at the limit of what we can detect,” comments Pierre-Olivier Martel. Further sampling in 2022 revealed similar quantities.
“Even if we would prefer that there were none at all, there is no problem for human health,” concludes the latter, adding that projects are underway to develop new, lower-risk alternatives.