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After weeks of facing the usual winter challenge—snow, and lots of it—above-average temperatures today and tomorrow could cause flooding in some parts of the region, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority warns.
The agency is advising anyone who lives near a waterway to prepare for possible flooding and create a plan for minimizing flood-related property damage.
Watercourses need to be treated with caution, because unstable ice and ill-defined river banks can be unpredictable.
Patrick Larsen, the senior water resources technician for the agency, said the potential flooding is a result of unseasonably high temperatures occurring for several days in row.
The latest Environment Canada forecast for Ottawa predicts above-freezing temperatures until Wednesday night.
There are four areas of concern: Kemptville Creek near Kemptville; the Jock River from the town of Richmond to Nepean; Stevens Creek through North Gower; and the Rideau River near Cummings Bridge in downtown Ottawa.
In 1981, the Rideau Tennis Club suffered $80,000 in damage after an ice jam on the Rideau River caused one-and-a-half metres of water to cover the club’s tennis and squash courts.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008