Drinking water
	Swimming
	Fishing and fish consumption
	Recreational boating
	Natural disasters and walking
	Summary of uses and perceptions

Jacques Grondin
Centre de Recherche du Pavillon CHUL et du Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval à Québec
2400, rue d'Estimauville
Beauport (Québec)
G1E 7G9

For more information:
mtl_communications@HWC

13 July 2000

The complete report is available in French only

Highlights
Health Survey

Reference :

Dewaily, É., J. Grondin and S. Gingras (eds.), 1999. Enquête santé sur les usages et perceptions du Saint-Laurent. Unité de recherche en santé publique du CHUQ et Saint-Laurent Vision 2000, volet Santé, 196 p. + annexes. ISBN 0-89496-135-9. (Publication available at Health Canada Department: (514) 283-0949.)

• In all, 35.2% of the people living along the St Lawrence said that they drink bottled water often along with tap water.

• Consumption of tap water is higher among residents who have a private water supply or private wells than among those who receive their water from a municipal water supply system that is connected to the St Lawrence. However, consumption of tap water is lowest in municipalities where the municipal water supply system is not connected to the St Lawrence.

• The percentage of households that have water treatment devices is higher for households that have a private water supply or private wells, compared with households that receive their water from a municipal water system connected to the St Lawrence. The percentage of households with water treatment devices is lowest in municipalities where the municipal water system is not connected to the St Lawrence.

• Respondents who get their drinking water from a private water supply system or a private well expressed greater satisfaction with the taste and smell of their tap water than did respondents whose water comes from a municipal water supply system. The least satisfied persons in the latter group were those whose water supply comes from a municipal system connected to the St Lawrence.

• A proportionally greater number of people whose tap water comes from a municipal system connected to the St Lawrence feel that the risks of drinking this water are high or very high. In the case of respondents who have a private water supply or private well, there are proportionally more people who feel that there is no risk associated with drinking this water.

• In the case of respondents from the freshwater sector who feel that there is a risk associated with drinking tap water, water from the St Lawrence was viewed as posing a greater risk to health compared with tap water from other sources.

• Among the respondents from the freshwater sector who feel that the water from the St Lawrence poses a greater health risk compared with other water sources, the great majority (81%) identified pollution in general or industrial plants and chemical contaminants as a risk factor. By contrast, in the saltwater section of the St Lawrence, municipal sewers are viewed as the main source of pollution of the St Lawrence.

• Proportionally more of the respondents whose tap water comes from a municipal water supply system connected to the St Lawrence mentioned that they drank another type of water because they thought there would be fewer chemicals. In the case of people whose drinking water comes from a municipal water system that is not connected to the St Lawrence, the motivation for seeking out other types of water related more to the organoleptic qualities of the water.

• The main determinant of tap water consumption was not the source of this drinking water or its perceived quality but rather the subjective assessment of its organoleptic qualities.

• In all, 33.6% of the riverside adult population (15 years and over) went swimming in a lake or river during the past year.

• 6.4% of the riverside adult population went swimming in the St Lawrence over the past year. This activity is more popular among men, but diminishes in popularity with the age of the respondents.

• The highest percentages of respondents who said they swim in the St Lawrence are found in the following regions: Gaspé/Magdalen Islands (32.1%), North Shore (29.8%), Lower St Lawrence (11.4%) and Montérégie (8.0%).

• Only 19.5% of the adults who swim in the St Lawrence engage in this activity solely in locations where there is always a lifeguard on duty.

• The majority of riverside residents (66.2%) feel that the risks associated with swimming in the St Lawrence are high or very high. Very few people (2.9%) feel that there is no risk. However, swimmers view the level of risk as lower compared with non-swimmers.

• There are substantial regional differences in the level of perceived risk—just as there are in the profile of swimmers. For example, the level of risk is perceived as lower within the saltwater sector of the St Lawrence, particularly on the North Shore and in the Gaspé/Magdalen Islands region, than in the freshwater part of the St Lawrence.

• Of the people who said they do not swim in the St Lawrence, one in three (34.3%) would go swimming there if they received information indicating that the water quality was suitable for this activity.

• People who feel that there is a high risk associated with swimming in the St Lawrence would be less inclined to swim there if they received information indicating that the water quality was suitable for this activity, regardless of whether or not they swim in lakes or rivers. Furthermore, people who do not already swim in lakes or rivers would be less likely to go swimming in the St Lawrence, whether or not they currently regard the risk as high.

• Several factors appear to influence the decision of whether or not to swim in the St Lawrence, including general swimming practices and a preference for swimming in the natural environment (both of these factors are influenced by socio-demographic characteristics), skepticism about the water quality in swimming spots and ease of access.

• Overall, 20.8% of the adult riverside population practices recreational fishing. However, only 8.6% of riverside residents engage in this activity in the St Lawrence. Recreational fishing, whether in the St Lawrence or elsewhere, is more popular among men than women, and the popularity of this activity diminishes with the age of the respondents.

• The highest percentages of fishers who carry out recreational fishing in the St Lawrence are located in the North Shore, Gaspé/Magdalen Islands, Montérégie and Lanaudière regions.

• The four main species caught in the St Lawrence are yellow perch, bass and pike, including muskellunge and walleye. In view of the uneven distribution of the resource, species like mackerel and cod account for most of the catches in the Gulf sector.

• Among the people who fish in the St Lawrence, 30.0% systematically return their catch to the water, whereas 38.1% never or rarely throw the fish back. The percentage of fishers who always throw the fish back is much higher in Montreal and Laval than elsewhere.

• The main reasons given for throwing back catches are apparent or suspected disease in the fish, the size of the fish (too small) and the fact that the fisher does not eat fish or is only fishing for fun.

• Sport fishers eat relatively little of the fish that they catch in the St Lawrence; most of them consume fewer than five meals a year. The largest percentages of respondents who eat a lot of fish caught in the St Lawrence (more than 20 meals a year) are located in the Gulf sector. In the freshwater sector, the largest corresponding percentages are situated in the Montérégie and Mauricie-Bois-Francs regions.

• The percentage of people who don’t eat fish is lower among riverside residents of the St Lawrence than it is in the provincial population at large. The corresponding percentage is also lower among riverside dwellers who carry out recreational fishing than among those who do not fish.

• Two riverside dwellers out of three (64.6%) consider that eating fish from the St Lawrence is dangerous or very dangerous for their health. In addition, among those persons who feel that there is a risk associated with eating fish from the St Lawrence, the large majority (62.6%) feel that it is safer to eat fish from a lake or another river than fish from the St Lawrence.

• The perceived level of risk associated with eating fish from the St Lawrence varies from one area of the St Lawrence to another. The highest percentage of riverside dwellers who think that it is dangerous or very dangerous to eat fish caught in the St Lawrence are located in Montreal, Laval and Lanaudière.

• A majority of fishers (40%) stated that they always comply with the consumption recommendations relating to levels of contamination in fish. However, a substantial percentage of recreational fishers appear not to be familiar with the recommendations (27%), or they are opposed to them (31%).

• Perceptions about the quality of the fish and the risk associated with the St Lawrence appear to have an influence on whether or not people choose to fish in this river.

• The two main factors influencing the decision on whether or not to eat fish from the St Lawrence are the perceived risk associated with eating this fish and food preferences.

Recreational boating

• During the year preceding the survey, 17% of riverside residents used a boat other than a ferry to navigate on the St Lawrence. In most cases, the vessels in question were motorboats.

• There are more pleasure boaters in the Lanaudière, North Shore and Gaspé/Magdalen Islands regions than elsewhere.

• Recreational boating is more popular among men than women, and the popularity of this activity increases with income and education levels, but decreases with the age of the respondents.

• A majority of riverside residents consider the St Lawrence to be safe or very safe for recreational boating. Respondents who use motorboats are proportionally more numerous than other people in viewing the St Lawrence as safe, whereas among rowboat users, a proportionally larger number of people regard the St Lawrence as dangerous for navigation.

• The majority of respondents who consider the river dangerous for navigation identify human factors (i.e. collisions, traffic, carelessness, excessive speed) as a source of risk. However, certain characteristics of the natural environment are also mentioned very often, particularly the tides and currents as well as waves and eddies.

• Nearly two out of three pleasure boaters always wear a lifejacket or often do so. The highest percentage of people who use lifejackets are in the rowboat group, whereas motorboat users account for the smallest percentage of lifejacket wearers.

• Nearly a quarter of pleasure boaters always or often have alcohol aboard their boats. Sailboat users make up the largest percentage in this regard.

• The main reason respondents gave for seldom or never wearing a lifejacket was that they considered their boats safe.

• Nearly three out of four pleasure boaters feel that it is as enjoyable or more enjoyable to engage in boating on the St Lawrence than on a lake or another river.

• Among those who feel that it is more enjoyable to engage in recreational boating on the St Lawrence, the reasons they gave relate mainly to the greater amount of space available and the beauty of the landscapes. Issues related to cost, proximity and accessibility were barely mentioned.

• In the freshwater part of the St Lawrence, 2.5% of riverside residents said that they had been affected by flooding. This problem mainly affects people in the Lanaudière and Mauricie-Bois-Franc regions. In the case of residents who have taken preventive measures, installing a sump pump in the basement was the most common solution adopted.

• In the marine part of the St Lawrence, 3.7% of shoreline residents have taken measures to prevent problems related to storms that impact coastal regions, particularly in the Gaspé/Magdalen Islands region. The main approach used consisted in constructing an embankment or a retaining wall to protect against shoreline erosion.

• Walking along the shores of the St Lawrence is a favourite activity for riverside dwellers; the majority of people (54.7%) engage in this activity at least a few times a year.

• A large proportion of riverside residents (38.3%) do not appear to engage in any recreational activities connected with the St Lawrence. The majority of residents (56.3%) carry out only one or two types of activities on the St Lawrence, and hence limit their contact with the river.

• It is in the Gulf sector (North Shore and Gaspé/Magdalen Islands) that the largest number of recreational activities connected with the St Lawrence take place, whereas the smallest number occur on the north shore of the St Lawrence near Greater Montreal (Montreal, Laval, Lanaudière).

• The greater the amount of contact with the St Lawrence, the less people take part in activities associated with the river.

• The greater the amount of contact with the river, the larger the number of riverside residents who regard the activity as risky or dangerous.

• The perception of risk appears to be exclusive, that is, a person’s perception of the risk associated with one activity does not appear to encompass other activities.

• The more people are inclined to regard activities involving close contact with the St Lawrence as safe (e.g. consumption of fish, swimming), the less they are concerned about engaging in other activities.