Notice of Public Interest: Spring Icebreaking on Lake St. Louis

QUÉBEC CITY, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - March 6, 2012) - The Canadian Coast Guard is notifying residents and 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, around March 14, 2012. The date is only an indicator, and activities could begin before or after that period, according to operational needs or prevailing weather conditions.

The purpose of this annual operation is to break up the ice at the mouth of the river's tributaries in order to prevent ice jams and flooding that may result from the spring thaw. The operation will be carried out by the icebreaker CCGS Tracy or CCGS Martha L. Black and by a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft.

Owners of facilities or equipment on the ice should move them safely ashore. The Canadian Coast Guard strongly recommends that pedestrians, fishers and snowmobilers leave the ice when they see an icebreaker in the vicinity. The ice may move, creating a real danger for anyone in the area of a Canadian Coast Guard unit.

Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers have a red hull with a transverse white band in the centre, and a white funnel on top bearing a maple leaf. A hovercraft is an air-cushion vehicle with engines that produce a noise similar to those of an aircraft.

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