Study area
Hydro‑Québec established a study area to determine the substation location and line route with the least impact. The study area includes all the biophysical and human elements that are likely to be affected by the project. Extending some 34 km2, the study area is situated entirely in the Outaouais region and crosses the municipalities of Val‑des‑Bois and Bowman in the regional county municipality (MRC) of Papineau, and the municipality of Val‑des‑Monts in the MRC of Collines-de-l’Outaouais. It is bordered by L’Escalier reservoir to the north and Chemin du Pont to the south.
The study area has a low population density with private land used for farming, forestry, recreation and tourism.
Studded with a few small lakes, the landscape is made up of cultivated fields and wooded hills. There are buildings and forest patches in the valleys.
Vacation, tourism and recreational activities are mainly concentrated in the area around L’Escalier reservoir. In the southern part of the study area, there are ATV, horseback riding and .
