By : Conservation Lac Brome.

Did you know that every catch basin and ditch around Brome Lake is a direct highway for sediments and nutrients to the lake or its tributaries?

Stormwater Management

This is, in fact, how “traditional” stormwater management works: runoff is collected as quickly as possible in ditches and through catch basins installed on impervious surfaces, then directed into underground pipes. This water is subsequently discharged directly into the lake or its tributaries. The problem is that this approach focuses mainly on the quantity of runoff to be evacuated, whereas sustainable stormwater management should also consider the quality of the discharged water. Currently, in most cases, this water carries sediments and nutrients that accelerate the aging of the lake.

Conservation Lac Brome is calling on the Town of Brome Lake to take tangible measures to improve runoff management. Several solutions can help slow down water flow and capture sediments. Let’s look at a few. Where slopes are gentle, grassed ditches or check dams can slow the flow, reduce its erosive force, and trap sediments, thereby limiting erosion. Retention basins, for their part, also allow sediments to settle. Finally, oil and sediment separators (often known by the trade name Stormceptor®) capture oils, sediments, as well as nutrients associated with suspended solids. These systems can significantly reduce phosphorus inputs to the lake, provided they are properly maintained.

Current Situation and Problem Areas

The town already uses these solutions, but their implementation must be rapidly expanded, particularly in the most vulnerable areas near the lake. The Bondville Rd sector, between Route 215 and Eugène, still includes several outlets that channel runoff from steep slopes directly into the lake. Similarly, Lakeside Rd near Conférence lacks sufficient retention and sedimentation capacity.

Shared Responsibility

Often, when we talk about runoff, citizens are encouraged to take action on their own properties through green infrastructure, such as shoreline buffer strips. That is essential. However, if the Town of Brome Lake does not do its part in managing stormwater, the overall impact on the lake will remain insufficient. Improving stormwater management is a key issue in protecting the lake, and the Town of Brome Lake has a major role to play, starting now.