Drained since its dam collapsed in 2014, Pine Lake will not be rehabilitated, at least not for the time being. That's what the Town of Hudson has confirmed.

In 2021, the municipal council at the time had adopted a borrowing bylaw of $1,050,000, for the construction of a new dam capable of accommodating the water flow expected over the next 100 years. This new project would enable the Town to restore Pine Lake to its original state. 

Last November, however, Hudson Mayor Chloé Hutchison hinted that the project had been put on hold, partly because of soaring construction costs.  Initially estimated at $1 million, the project would now cost between $4 and $5 million.

“We have put the project on ice until we have a better idea of the situation in terms of the money we have on hand, but also of the direction we want to take our project,” explained the mayor at the start of the meeting. 

Regulatory changes on the part of the Quebec government also meant that the town had to re-analyze the dossier.

“We had a meeting with people from the Ministry of the Environment and the Dam Safety Branch to better understand their position on the urgency of carrying out this project.During the meeting, we learned that provincial legislation changed in June 2023 for low-capacity dams like Pine Lake. It is no longer necessary for an engineer to submit a plan to remove such a dam.All we have to do is fill out an online form. So the requirements have been greatly reduced, which gives us greater flexibility in terms of deadlines,” added Ms. Hutchison.

Saint-Lazare withdraws from the project

In 2021, Ville de Saint-Lazare agreed to pay $141,520 to the Town of Hudson for the Pine Lake rehabilitation project, as compensation for the fish habitat created by the slope stabilization work in the Vallé-Chaline.

The funds used were to come from the borrowing by-law adopted in August 2019, by Ville de Saint-Lazare, as part of the stabilization work on the Quinchien River embankments in the Vallée Chaline.

According to the by-law, a maximum amount of $400,000 had to be set aside to compensate for the loss of fish habitat, a measure required by the Government of Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

“When we did the stabilization work in the Vallée Chaline, we damaged a portion of the Quinchien River. So we had to find a project to compensate for this loss of habitat,” explained the mayor at the time, Robert Grimaudo.

The Hudson project had to be completed by December 31, 2024.

Following the Hudson municipal council's decision to put the project on hold, Ville de Saint-Lazare was obliged to review the potential sites for compensatory measures.

According to the resolution adopted by the Saint-Lazare Council on April 9, suggestions have been made to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of the Government of Canada. The city is now waiting for the Department to decide whether the proposed sites are eligible.