Flooding of the Saguenay region in 1996. Part 2: Aux Sables River flood mitigation and environmental impact assessment

Abstract

After the flooding of the Saguenay region in July 1996, several rivers, including the Aux Sables River, experienced unusual water discharge, causing flooding and morphological damage. This paper addresses flood mitigation and environmental impact assessment of the Aux Sables River following the July 1996 flooding. The consequences of the flood are summarized followed by a review of various proposed solutions for a similar flood. The option of dredging the Aux Sables River to increase discharge without causing flooding raises the issue of suspended sediment concentration, since the intake water at Jonquiere would be at risk. Utilizing newly developed software, UMHYSER-1D, the suspended sediment impact assessment for the Aux Sables River enables the maximum permissible sediment discharge to be released into the river while avoiding any risk of pollution for the population of Jonquiere city. Using UMHYSER-1D to mitigate this risk confirms the important role of numerical modeling in solving complex engineering problems.