QUEBEC CITY – The Canadian Coast Guard would like to notify local residents and all those using the shores of Lake St. Louis that it intends to begin spring icebreaking operations at the entrance of the St. Lawrence Seaway, on the north and south shores of the Lake and in Bay Des Cascades on or about Thursday, March 20, 2008.
The purpose of this yearly operation is to dislodge the ice at the mouth of the river's tributaries in order to prevent ice jams and flooding that may result from the spring break-up. The operation will be carried out by the icebreaker CCGS Martha L. Black and by a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft.
Owners of facilities on the ice should move them safely ashore. The Coast Guard strongly recommends that pedestrians, fishers and snowmobilers leave the ice when they see the hovercraft in the immediate vicinity. The ice may move, and this may create a real danger for anyone in the area of the Coast Guard unit.
CCGS Martha L. Black has a red hull with a transverse white band and a white funnel bearing a maple leaf. A hovercraft is an air cushion vehicle whose engines produce a noise similar to an aircraft.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Martin Bourget
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Quebec city, Quebec
418-648-7893
