The aim of the Urban and Environmental Geology of the St. Lawrence Valley project is to provide geoscience knowledge required for sound regional planning, environmental protection and sustainable development of the St. Lawrence Lowlands. The study area includes the St. Lawrence Valley and valleys of tributary rivers from Lake Ontario (Kingston) to the Gaspe peninsula.

The project was initiated in 2004 and is still on-going. Maps, documents and new topics will be released on-line at this site, as the information is compiled and becomes available. The project relies on the contribution of many partners for source information The maps and graphics provided at this site are derived from documents (see Partners) that cannot be released for proprietary reasons.

Graphics and maps within this site can be reproduced for non-profit purposes as long as proper reference to the original material is provided. Interactive maps are served by an application called GeoServ developed by the Geological Survey of Canada. Several datasets are available on-line free of charge. Instructions on how to download the data are provided with each dataset.

Private and public agencies have compiled an enormous amount of geoscientific information in the form of geological and topographic maps, stratigraphic information (coming from engineering and waterwell logs), remote sensing images, and numerous geoscientific reports describing the physical environment of the St. Lawrence valley. The estimated cost of field data collection and analyses of information gathered along the St. Lawrence Valley, from Kingston to Rimouski, is substantial (see cost estimate).

Traditionally, geoscience information was compiled and released in paper format with limited distribution, and used primarily by specialists within the framework of the original intent of the data collection. The availability of geoscience information in digital format and the use of universal standards for information management along with the possibility of analysing multiple layers of geospacial data, using Geographic Information Systems, provided the possibility of integrating various sources of information to produce derived documents, such as thematic maps, stratigraphic sections and three-dimensional geological models.

The aim of the St. Lawrence Valley project is to provide geoscience information for sound regional planning, including sustainable development of natural resources, mitigation of natural hazards, identification of vulnerable soils and aquifers to anthropogenic input, and identification of best environmental practices in developing regional and urban infrastructures (Bélanger 2004). Geoscientific information pertaining to urban geology is often widely used and has a significant economic value for the public and private sectors. (Bélanger & Moore, 1999).