37. For the purposes of section 36 of this Act, the characterization study required under paragraph 1 of section 46.0.3 of the Environment Quality Act (chapter Q-2) must be prepared on the basis of(1) a photointerpretation analysis of the wetlands and bodies of water in which the work is to be carried out, which must be supported by any or a combination of the most recent following data:(a) existing maps of the environments concerned;
(b) satellite images of the environments concerned;
(c) aerial photography or videography of the environments concerned;
(d) a digital elevation model of the environments concerned; and
(e) climate, physico-chemical and hydrometric data if the environments concerned specifically relate to a body of water; and
(2) a field visit conducted to establish a description of the characteristics of the environments concerned, in particular of the soil, vegetation and wildlife. The visit may be conducted with a light snow cover that does not completely hide the vegetation and on ground that is not deeply frozen.
The characterization study must also make it possible to establish the boundaries and area of the environments concerned and to assess the presence or potential presence of threatened or vulnerable species and their habitats.
2020, c. 272020, c. 27, s. 37.