Quebec has witnessed repeated record flooding in recent years, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people whose homes were affected. Yet, in addition to the material damage and psychological impacts, floods can pose a significant health risk, as they can contaminate individual drinking water supply wells. Although construction standards for drinking water catchments in Quebec are designed to protect water quality, several factors (physical and human) can increase the risk of water contamination locally, as well as the consumption of this water without adequate prior treatment.
The present proposal concerns a master's project to evaluate perceptions of drinking water from individual wells and household consumption habits in flooded areas, along two stretches of flood-prone rivers in Quebec. Ultimately, the project will assess the vulnerability of populations to the consumption of water contaminated by floods, and survey the various local water stakeholders in relation to their perception of risk in times of flooding and non-flooding, and the factors or actions that could bring about changes in practices and improve community resilience.
In concrete terms, the student will conduct semi-directed interviews with well owners and representatives of municipalities, OBVs and MRCs in the two study regions. These will focus on the respondents' perceptions of drinking water and flooding, their concerns about water quality, their land use practices, and the solutions they see as promising and realistic for ensuring more sustainable management of water catchments. The data produced in the other areas will then be communicated to the participants during collaborative workshops, which will not only enable them to appropriate the knowledge, but also to work together on the actions to be implemented to ensure good quality drinking water in the long term.
The project as a whole is financed via the RIISQ-Ouranos call for projects for a period of two years. Two master's degrees will be completed as part of the project, one in natural sciences (INRS, theme: risks of water contamination) and the other in land use planning (Université Laval, theme: risks of consuming contaminated water).
- Regional planning
- Geography
- Social sciences
Roxane Lavoie
Geneviève Bordeleau
Centre de recherche en aménagement et développement
This project is part of a partnership between the Centre de recherche en aménagement et développement (CRAD) and INRS (Institut national de la recherche scientifique). Students will therefore have the opportunity to work in a diversified environment where researchers from different disciplines rub shoulders.
The Centre de recherche en aménagement et développement (CRAD) is an interdisciplinary environment where researchers and students work on five main issues related to sustainable urban and rural planning and development: urban transformation, regional viability, sustainable development and environmental protection, innovation and improved practices, and citizen health.
