Made in Quebec · For lakefront owners
Weeds taking over your dock? Lay the mat yourself. No diver.
ALGUAMAT is a bottom barrier mat in non-woven geotextile, designed and sewn in Quebec, for the localized control of invasive aquatic plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil. Aluminium tubes sewn into its sleeves hold it on the lake bottom without rocks or permanent anchoring. The owner lays it in spring, removes it in fall, and reuses it the next year. No chemicals.
Why Quebec lakefront owners need this
Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) keeps spreading in Quebec lakes. Once established, it forms dense mats from the bottom to the surface: swimming, paddling and fishing become impossible in front of the dock. A stem fragment of a few centimetres, carried by a propeller or a current, can start a new colony, which is why pulling or raking it carelessly makes things worse.
The Government of Quebec recognizes matting and hand pulling as control methods for Eurasian watermilfoil. Professional interventions with divers exist and make sense for a whole bay or lake. For one owner's dock or swimming area, they are often out of proportion. That is the gap ALGUAMAT fills: a mat sized for a small, targeted area, that the owner handles alone. Our French guide Algues ou plantes dans mon lac : quoi faire ? goes through identification, regulations and methods in detail.
Specifications
- Material
- Non-woven geotextile, gas-permeable
- Dimensions
- 15 ft × 13 ft
- Area covered
- 18.1 m²
- Weighting
- 38 mm aluminium tubes, sewn into double-layer sleeves, with end caps. No rocks or weights to add.
- Stitching
- Industrial, water-resistant thread
- Anchoring
- No permanent anchoring
- Reuse
- Fully removable and reusable, season after season
- Made in
- Designed and sewn in Quebec
How it works, in five steps
- Identify. Have the species confirmed by your lake association, a watershed organization or the Quebec government's Sentinelle tool. Matting is not selective: it covers everything under it.
- Lay. Place the mat on the bottom over the targeted area, from the dock or by wading in. The tubes keep it down.
- Control. The mat acts as a physical barrier and slows the growth of the vegetation it covers.
- Inspect. The mat is designed to let you walk over it for the checks you need during the summer.
- Remove. In the fall, take it out, store it, and lay it again next spring.
Regulations in Quebec
Installing a mat in a lake touches protected environments. Two provincial regimes apply, and your municipality may add its own. In short:
- Environment. Work on the shoreline normally requires an authorization (Environment Quality Act, section 22). But section 320 of the REAFIE exempts the management of invasive exotic plant species when it is done by hand, or by matting over an area of less than 75 m², to maintain an existing use or the ecological functions of the environment. Four ALGUAMAT mats cover 72.4 m².
- Wildlife. The shoreline of a lake used by fish is a protected wildlife habitat (Act respecting the conservation and development of wildlife, section 128.6).
- Municipal. Many municipalities require a certificate for work on the shore or in the water. One phone call usually settles it.
It is the owner's responsibility to check and obtain, before installation, every authorization that applies. ALGUAMAT designs and sells the mats; we answer your questions but do not file applications for you. The full French text is on our regulatory framework page.
Price
The regular price is CAD 999. An end-of-season sale at CAD 699 runs until October 31, 2026; after that, the clearance price is CAD 799. The price above is today's. Free pickup in Montréal or Mont-Tremblant, or delivery by carrier anywhere in Canada, with the rate confirmed when we call you back. There is no online payment: the shop sends us your order by email and we call you to confirm.
Frequently asked questions
Depending on the project, provincial, municipal or federal authorizations may be required. It is your responsibility to check and obtain them before installation. In Quebec, section 320 of the REAFIE exempts the management of invasive exotic plants from a provincial environmental authorization when it is done by hand or by matting over less than 75 m², under certain conditions. Fish habitat (ACDW, section 128.6) and municipal by-laws may still apply.
No. The mat is designed to be installed by the waterfront owner. The aluminium tubes sewn into the sleeves weigh it down and hold it on the bottom without permanent anchoring.
The mat is laid in spring and removed in fall. It is fully removable and leaves no trace.
No: matting is not selective. It acts on all vegetation covered by the mat. That is why the species must be identified by a professional before installation, and why the mat is used on a targeted area.
Yes. The mat is removable and reusable: take it out in the fall, store it, lay it again the following season.
The regular price is CAD 999 per mat, plus taxes. An end-of-season sale at CAD 699 runs until October 31, 2026; after that, the clearance price is CAD 799. The price shown in the shop is the one that applies today.
One mat covers 18.1 m². Four mats side by side cover 72.4 m², under the 75 m² threshold of section 320 of the REAFIE. Other authorizations (wildlife, municipal, federal) may still apply: check before installing.
Free pickup in Montréal or Mont-Tremblant. Delivery by carrier anywhere in Canada, with the rate confirmed when we call you back.
No. The mat is a physical barrier laid on the bottom: it acts on rooted plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil. It does nothing against floating algae or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). What lakefront owners call algae is often watermilfoil, though.
There is no online payment for now. You fill the cart in the shop, your request reaches us by email with the full breakdown, and we call you back to confirm delivery, the total and the payment method.
Tell us about your lake.
Describe your water body and the area that bothers you. We call you back, we look at it together, no pressure. Email: contact@alguamat.com