Ottawa River Water Levels
In recent years, I have seen the devastating impacts of flooding in our community, and understand the realities many have faced, seeing their homes and communities damaged. Since 2017, residents along the Ottawa River have experienced three floods and with current water levels, residents fear a fourth this year.
Without significant winter runoff, the current water levels are unexpectedly high. I have proactively engaged the Minister of Emergency Preparedness on behalf of all those affected in our community and also requested an update from the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board (ORRPB), which I’m sharing below.
I will continue to update residents as the situation evolves.
ORRPB Update from April 24, 2024
The flows and levels in the Constance Bay area are currently higher than average but within the normal range for this time of year. It is usual for the water levels to rise and for the beach in the Constance Bay area to disappear every spring. Levels rise because there is more runoff from rain and snowmelt in the river, and this water needs more space to flow out of the river towards its outlet near Montreal.
This year, many residents have been surprised by the rise in water levels because they had anticipated there would be less water in the Ottawa River due to the early melt of the snow cover and the fact that there was less snow than normal.
While there was not a lot of snow this year, it is important to know that snowmelt is not the only thing that will cause levels and flows to rise in the Ottawa River. We reminded residents about that around mid-March, when we published an information bulletin on our website. The bulletin, which is named “Early Spring Conditions Overview in the Ottawa River Basin” said the following: “Although it is too early to forecast the magnitude and timing of the peak on the main stem of the Ottawa River, the ongoing slow melt of the snow pack in the central portion of the basin could constitute a mild start of freshet. However, it is not possible to completely rule out the occurrence of flooding this early in the year. Weather conditions over the coming weeks (such as additional snow falls and heavy rainfall events) will influence the strength of the freshet. Often, these weather conditions only become certain a few days in advance.”
Please consult the ORRPB website for the most up-to-date information. Yesterday’s River Conditions Forecast message on the ORRPB website reads as follows:
Flows and water levels along the main stem of the Ottawa River are slightly above normal for this time of year from Mattawa down to Pembroke due to recent precipitation. Flows and levels are expected to slightly increase in some locations today and tomorrow as more spring runoff is released from some reservoirs to provide additional storage in advance of rainfall anticipated for Saturday to Tuesday. Later on, levels and flows should stabilize, and may start to decline depending on the amount of rain received over the coming week. Please refer to the forecast section of our website for more information about the river conditions in your area. Minor flooding in low-lying areas may occur over the next few days. Low-lying areas are those locations that regularly flood during the spring freshet period.
Helpful resources are:
A description of current and forecast conditions on the Ottawa River along with conditions at the principal reservoirs in the system
A general four-day forecast at key locations within the basin during the spring freshet period
