SNC first issued a flood watch statement, the second highest level on its five-level scale, on Friday, April 14 and has since upgraded to a Flood Warning, the highest warning level. The flood warning was issued Monday afternoon, April 17, and remains in effect until April 28. SNC describes a flood warning as “flooding is imminent or already occurring”.
The Ottawa River Regulating Planning Board, which works to manage the reservoirs and dams along the river to reduce the impact of flooding, anticipates the water will exceed minor flood levels in the Lake Coulonge, Chats Lake, Britannia/Lac Deschênes and Pointe-Gatineau areas. Cumberland and Clarence-Rockland are considered “areas at greatest risk”.
According to the SNC, the water could rise as high as one metre above levels as of Monday morning. While conditions remain dependent on snowmelt and rainfall, a rainfall event is forecast for the coming weekend, adding water to the river already near its flood threshold.
Making the situation more precarious, the water is entering the Ottawa River in locations where retention is not possible. Authorities are working to reduce the amount of water entering the river upstream to prevent water levels from hitting major flood levels.
In response to the flood watch, Clarence-Rockland has deployed flood mitigating equipment to areas at the most risk of flooding in the coming days. Transport containers filled with sandbags, shovels, first-aid kits and other equipment have been placed on Voisine Street, Wilson Road and Pago Street. Residents in the most impacted areas have been notified.
Conservation authorities are encouraging residents to closely follow changing conditions, take necessary measures and stay away from watercourses where flows are high and where banks might be unstable. Parents are encouraged to explain the danger to their children and provide appropriate supervision around all waterbodies.
