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But Ottawa River won’t crest for weeks; weekend rain has residents on alert
OTTAWA—City officials say the worst flooding along the Rideau River should be over by Saturday as long as no more rain than expected falls.
However, they won’t be able to determine what will happen along the Ottawa River for some time because it’s expected to crest two to three weeks from now. Meanwhile, they are asking residents to stop pumping basement water into the sanitary sewer system because it is at capacity.
Based on all data, large-scale flooding along the Rideau will likely not occur, said John Ash, manager of emergency services.
“I think what we see is what we are going to see,” he said.
He said the Rideau River peaked Thursday. Although it will rise again because of rain on the weekend, it is not expected to exceed Thursday’s level.
Still, he said, residents living in potential flood areas should watch water levels closely, be prepared to take defensive measures such as sandbagging and report any flooding to the city immediately.
Michel Chevalier, the city’s manager of customer service, said the city will be watching the Ottawa River closely and will be able to notify residents to take action a couple of days in advance of any flooding.
However, he said, the city is asking residents to take action on one front immediately – or risk sewage backing up into their homes.
He said people living in the outer edge of the urban area before the Greenbelt and those in homes just outside the Greenbelt are in danger of overwhelming the sanitary sewer system by pumping water from their basements into the sanitary system through drains in their houses.
Mr. Chevalier said to avoid overwhelming the system, the city is asking people to pump the water outside onto their lawns, away from the buildings.
“We’re at capacity and the system should be able to handle what we have, but if we get more rain than expected or more people start doing this, we could have problems,” he said.
A mix of precipitation, wet snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain is expected throughout the weekend, says Environment Canada.
Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist at the agency, said a storm that originated in Texas is bringing a lot of moisture with it as it heads across Southern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley.
“There is a potential that Ottawa will see 15 to 25 millimetres of rain from the system between Friday evening and Saturday morning,” he said.
This will add to the risk of flooding because what snowpack remains in sheltered areas is already saturated and will not be able to hold any more water, he added.
Ottawa can expect another five to 10 millimetres of rain during the day Saturday. Sunday, showers or flurries generated by the weakening system will drop more moisture on the area.
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority says streams and rivers have peaked, but the new precipitation will prolong that peak over the weekend.
If the precipitation falls mostly overnight as expected, the agency warns, water levels could rise by another 15 to 25 centimetres in flood-vulnerable areas.
South of the city, South Nation Conservation says area rivers have peaked and, in some cases, have begun to recede, although the forecast precipitation could raise levels.
The authority advises municipalities and residents in flood-prone areas be prepared to respond to further flooding.
Old Ottawa South has already been hit by the rising Rideau River, with traffic restrictions around Belmont Avenue.
Outside the core, Old Almonte Road from Dwyer Hill Road to Corkery Road is closed until further notice.
In Rideau-Goulbourn, Dilworth Road from Fourth Line Road to McCordick Road was expected to be closed until Friday.
The city has placed free sand and bags in several locations for those who may need them. People are advised to take their own shovels to fill the bags.
Flooding: Gatineau Park to end skiing season
Sand bags are available at:
Manotick Yard, 4244 Rideau Valley Dr., Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For after-hours requests for sand, call 311.
Sand is available in the area of Belmont and Fentiman avenues and residents should call 311 for bags.
While the Ottawa River usually crests two to four weeks after the Rideau, sand and bags have been stockpiled at Jamieson and Rowatt streets.
Plates have been installed in berms to close off the river end of these roadways.
As well, city staff will provide sand and sandbags for the public in several areas:
. In the core, at 29 Hurdman Rd. and 1683 Woodward Dr.
. In the east, at 2035 Trim Rd.
. In the south, at 4244 Rideau Valley Dr.
. In the west at 2121 Huntley Rd. and 2941 March Rd.
Locations in the core are open 24 hours, seven days a week.
Locations in the east, south and west are open daily from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For after hour service at these locations, call 311.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Commission has announced that the ski season in Gatineau Park will end Tuesday.
Services, including trail patrolling and track setting on about 200 kilometres of trails, are still operating this weekend.
The season kicked off Nov. 24 and lasted close to 150 days thanks to the near-record snowfall totals