K.C. Jordan – LJI Reporter
Pontiac municipalities are bracing for possible flooding as the weekend’s rain and snowmelt along the Ottawa River and its tributaries are causing water levels to rise.
According to an Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board (ORRPB) update published on Apr. 28, the peak level estimate for Lac Coulonge was 108.35m, which sits above the critical water level of 108m and is fast approaching the levels of 108.52 attained during the 2017 floods.
The update said minor flood levels have been reached in some flood-prone areas along the river, while higher levels are predicted for other areas.
“Levels may reach or exceed the major flood level from Lake Coulonge to Lake Deschenes depending on the rapidity of the snowmelt and forecast precipitation over the next four days,” it read.
On Monday morning the municipality of Mansfield and Pontefract announced the closure of chemin Léonard due to flooding.
Mayor Sandra Armstrong, who had visited the road to see how the residents of its 10-12 houses were doing, said the water level had not yet attained the level of homes.
“Maybe land around the residents, but we didn’t get any phone calls from residents that said there was water in their house,” she said, adding that the road is still open for residents but the municipality does not want non-residents driving it.
Armstrong said as of Monday afternoon the municipality had not received any other reports of flooded roads. But she said the wound is still raw from 2017 and 2019, when hundreds of people were displaced because of flooding, and she will be working diligently to make sure her municipality is safe.
“People are anxious. I have people that live in low areas, and beside the river they are panicking,” she said.
Armstrong said sandbags are available at 32 chemin Lac de la Truite for residents who wish to be prepared, but added that if the flooding situation worsens the municipality is prepared to bring sandbags to affected locations.
She added the municipality will look to offer emergency shelter at École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge just as they did in previous years, even though no official discussions have been had yet.
Just down the road in Mansfield’s sister town, Fort Coulonge mayor Christine Francoeur said as of Monday afternoon there had been no reports of flooding.
She said her municipality is less at risk than neighbouring Mansfield because there are fewer waterfront properties, and her main concern with high water levels is they could overflow the town’s sewage system.
“The biggest thing we are worried about is our pumps,” she said. “We don’t have any residents that are really in danger of having water in their house, but with the pumps, it could be the sewers coming up, so that’s the problem.”
The municipality announced Monday its waterfront Centennial Park would be temporarily closed as water levels rise. Francoeur said there are no other closures yet, but the municipality remains vigilant and is monitoring water levels, which Francoeur said are almost as high as they were in 2017.
“Everything is good right now, [we’re] just keeping our fingers crossed and watching constantly,” she said.
Downriver of Fort Coulonge, the Municipality of Pontiac is also taking measures to prepare for possible flooding.
A Facebook post from the municipality said water levels on Monday at Britannia Station (Ottawa) sat at 59.51 metres, about 30 centimetres away from where the levels will begin flooding the parking lot at the Quyon Community Centre.
Mayor Roger Larose said he got a few phone calls from concerned residents over the weekend, but said so far no homes have been touched and no roads have flooded.
“At this point everything is good. So far, what we know, it should be a minor flood, nothing major, and the peak should be by the end of the week,” Larose said. “I went out this morning for a tour [of the municipality]. Everything looked good. We have about two feet of play before it gets really bad.”
He said after the 2017 and 2019 floods, residents are now more aware of the issue of flooding and are more prepared.
“Since in 2017, we had floods, a lot of the homes were lost, and in 2019 the same thing happened again. It’s not that many residents now who aren’t ready for this [ . . . ] The ones that are left are mostly the ones that never got flooded, and that’s why they’re still there.”
The municipality has put sand and sandbags at both Luskville and Quyon fire stations for residents wishing to be cautious.
Daily updates on water levels along the entire Ottawa River are available on the ORRPB’s website.