Rising Ottawa River Water Levels
Press Release posted on 2018-04-29 by Ottawa River Regulating Committee
OTTAWA/GATINEAU, Sunday April 29, 2018 — The Ottawa River Regulating Committee would like to inform watershed residents that levels and flows along the Ottawa River have
begun increasing with the onset of the spring freshet period. It cautions that during this period water levels could rise rapidly at times. However, based on the current snowpack and the weather forecast, levels and flows are expected to remain within the normal range of fluctuations associated with this period of the year.
River Conditions Forecast / Flooding Risk: Spring runoff in the northern and central portions of the Ottawa River basin is expected to continue to increase due to forecast warm temperatures and recent precipitation. The Regulating Committee cautions residents along the shores of the Ottawa River, from Mattawa down to the Montreal region, of the possibility of minor flooding in low-lying areas in the coming weeks. Low-lying areas are those that are flooded regularly during the spring freshet period.
Reservoir Regulation Strategy: The principal storage reservoirs in the northern part of the watershed are expected to contain the majority of the increased runoff in these areas. However, dams located in the central and southern portions of the basin are essentially “run of the river” with no significant storage capacity. As such, they cannot significantly reduce the flows and levels associated with increased spring runoff. During this critical freshet period, the Regulating Committee will take all possible actions to limit the amount of flooding and will continuously monitor conditions at all points along the river.
Further bulletins will be issued if flood risks increase.
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