Did you know that Lac Raynaud is a headwater lake and that it flows into two of this region’s important watersheds: Lac Ouimet and the Diable River? A headwater lake is a lake that extends into the upper part of a catchment basin and is almost exclusively fed by rain and underground springs.

The volume of underground water is renewed by precipitation in the form of rain or snow. A significant part of precipitation does not, however, reach the groundwater; it tends to flow towards streams, to evaporate or to be used by vegetation.

The reason why the parking area was moved

In 2019, a hydrogeological study was done by a firm specializing in landscape architecture, urban design and town planning. Unfortunately, the parking area close to the beach and the Wheeler pavilion drained part of the normal runoff, which carried with it a significant washout of fine materials that ended up in the lake. Traces of contamination were noted in the washout.

As a result of this analysis, the Domaine Saint-Bernard immediately set about closing and regenerating that parking area.

A fragile equilibrium

The Domaine Saint-Bernard is registered in the Environnement-Plage (Environment-Beach) program of the Ministère de l’Environnement of Québec. Six water samplings are done every two weeks. The results of the samplings indicate bacteriological classification, and the sampling program runs from mid-June till the end of August.

In August of this year, the sample had been taken following a heavy rain, which explained the high level of bacteria noted. Two days later another sample was taken and the rating of the beach this time was back to an A (excellent). We hope that this information will help you grasp the fragility of the equilibrium of our lakes.