FLOODING

[misfish]

My god,this is very serious. I hope the province steps in and supports ALL affected. I also hope the insurance companies are not going to look for loop holes so they don't have to pay out.

 

 

[lew]

Gonna get bad for lots more folks pretty soon too.

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/rising-lake-ontario-levels-are-a-delicate-balance-niagara-river-intake-flooding-along-st-lawrence

[Old Ironmaker]

I got a call from an old friend that moved from Hamilton to the Ottawa River ( Westmeath) after he retired. His wife and he had to evacuate their riverside home on Lake Coulonge that they built 4 years ago. The basement is full of water and the water and ice is 1/2 way up their 1st floor. He says it's a wright off. 

We live on the waters edge on Lake Erie. We haven't had a beach for the past 7 years. The water is even higher this spring as it is right to the breakwall where we once had 25 feet of sandy beach. That has caused severe erosion all along the lake. I paid $3500.00 last year to repair the armour rock breakwall as the fall storms of 017' undermined the hill behind the breakwall and the erosion was only 15 feet from our deck. That makes for some sleepless nights. 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Old Ironmaker

[jimmer]

I believe that in over 30 years, this is the highest I have seen the water level on Pigeon Lake. I have seen a few places that are built closer to the water experiencing flooding. My thoughts are going out to the people in Minden who face this type of crisis on what seems like a yearly basis now.

[Terry]

I think it’s rime to remove homes from part of the flood plane and lower the land near the rivers to allow much more water to flow. 

And maybe where there is dams and flood control in place , be proactive rather then reactive 

cause this is starting to happen every year or so

if insurance pays. The rates go up, so we all pay and it just keep happening 

if taxes pay to solve the problem we all pay but maybe the problem gets fixed 

[Old Ironmaker]

A report on CBC news this morning talked of a First Nations community on the Albany River in northern Ontario that has had to be evacuated each and every year for the past 17 years. Their Chief said that they have been requesting that the entire community be relocated to another area for years. The cost to the taxpayers has been 15 to 20 million dollars per year for damages and temporary lodging for an entire town. The definition of insanity comes to mind. 

[Fisherman]

1 hour ago, Terry said:

I think it’s rime to remove homes from part of the flood plane and lower the land near the rivers to allow much more water to flow. 

And maybe where there is dams and flood control in place , be proactive rather then reactive 

cause this is starting to happen every year or so

if insurance pays. The rates go up, so we all pay and it just keep happening 

if taxes pay to solve the problem we all pay but maybe the problem gets fixed 

You also have to take the mindset into consideration.  If the pond is full of alligators, you don't go swimming in there.  If you build by the water, sooner or later you're going to get wet.  I lay a fair part of the blame on the local municipalities that allowed construction there in the first place.

[OhioFisherman]

4 minutes ago, Fisherman said:

You also have to take the mindset into consideration.  If the pond is full of alligators, you don't go swimming in there.  If you build by the water, sooner or later you're going to get wet.  I lay a fair part of the blame on the local municipalities that allowed construction there in the first place.

We have some local areas along the Lake Erie tributaries that seem to flood every couple of years, horror and tragedy stories on the news about the home losses and such, but they keep on allowing them to rebuild there. It's not like those areas are unknown, or the risks and dangers of living or building there? Flood me once? shame on you! flood me repeatedly? shame on me?

[Terry]

yeah people who buy in a known flood area sure bare most of the cost of moving their house to high ground

 

[lew]

Water levels over in my corner of the Kawarthas haven't really been too bad until about a week ago but now they're starting to rise pretty fast. The water flowing thru the dams at Burleigh Falls, Young's Point & Lakefield is going very fast now and the Otonabee River is looking like the Lower Niagara.

I went down to Youngs Point today and took a couple pictures but naturally they don't show what it's actually like but to take this 1st picture I was standing on a bridge and could actually feel it vibrating with all the water rushing under it.

This is the Youngs Point lock and you can see the water is about 5" above the concrete wall where boats get tied up so probably at least 2' higher than normal.

The barge has been in the lock all winter after doing some work in the fall but if the water rises much more it'll be sitting on the concrete. 

 

Haven't seen any homes in any real danger yet but the water is definitely starting to creep over some lawns and it sounds like we're all in for another deluge over the next few days.

Edited April 30, 2019 by lew

[AKRISONER]

If people are already on the brink, This rain storm I think is going to make the story get very very serious come Friday morning. Hope everyone is ok around here but I think for many, much will be lost. I think bracebridge specifically is in very very big trouble.

[jimmer]

Here are a couple of before and after photos of our shoreline. these were taken 2 weeks apart.

[crappieperchhunter]

It's the highest I have seen the water in the close to 20 years we have been going to Bobcaygeon and what a change in the last 2 weeks. A bay I fish for crappie and gills had maybe 6 inches of water in it on April 15th. On the 29th it was almost up to the gravel road. A good 3 feet plus rise in water level in 2 weeks. For people close to flooding issues I hope this rain today isn't as bad as they are predicting. Thx Jimmer and Lew for the pictures to give people perspective of how it really is.

Edited May 1, 2019 by crappieperchhunter

[LeXXington]

I feel for all the people that are looking at there homes and the damage that it has caused by flooding. Unfortunately its a price you have to pay to live by water.

Growing up on Lake Huron 30 years ago I can remember when cottages along the water got wiped out because the ice and water rose so much.  As the years went on the water dropped, and dropped...  Everyone remember the -Stop the Drop- campaign, blame Lake St Clair dredging.

So, all this water was gone.. so hey build cottages and houses back close to the water for the view...  put a nice big deck close to the beach.   Last high water mark most of it was wiped out again.

When you do the building plan they only require drainage based on 100 year event. They should just change that to .. your living by water its going to flood at some point.

[Cando]

They have to start taking more water out of some of the lakes like Canal, Balsam, ETC They have all those feeder lakes they use to control the water levels throughout the Kawarthas. They now leave more water in them for ice fishing.  Drop the levels throughout the Trent like they use to and they wouldn't have to hold back water farther north as to try not to flood more areas.

[OhioFisherman]

No idea how much of this rain makes its way up north, but it is pouring here and the 10 day out look isn't sunny!

https://www.cleveland19.com/weather/

Edited May 2, 2019 by OhioFisherman

[Cando]

2 hours ago, OhioFisherman said:

No idea how much of this rain makes its way up north, but it is pouring here and the 10 day out look isn't sunny!

https://www.cleveland19.com/weather/

Looking at the long range here, it doesn't look as bad north compared to where you are. I hope they are right here and that they are wrong for your neck of the woods.

[jimmer]

15 hours ago, Cando said:

They have to start taking more water out of some of the lakes like Canal, Balsam, ETC They have all those feeder lakes they use to control the water levels throughout the Kawarthas. They now leave more water in them for ice fishing.  Drop the levels throughout the Trent like they use to and they wouldn't have to hold back water farther north as to try not to flood more areas.

Pigeon, Buckhorn, Chemong, Mitchell, etc are dropped low in the winter, there is basically no water in front of my place on Lower Pigeon when it's frozen. If you look at the top end of the system around Kennisis and Redstone, those lakes are dropped like 6 feet or more. They have to hold back water to fill those lakes to avoid low water levels in the summer, then slowly let any extra down through the system. However, I still don't understand the problem, because it was rare to get flooding in the spring years ago.  Maybe it's the people who are managing the system???? Some say it's climate change???

[Cando]

4 hours ago, jimmer said:

Pigeon, Buckhorn, Chemong, Mitchell, etc are dropped low in the winter, there is basically no water in front of my place on Lower Pigeon when it's frozen. If you look at the top end of the system around Kennisis and Redstone, those lakes are dropped like 6 feet or more. They have to hold back water to fill those lakes to avoid low water levels in the summer, then slowly let any extra down through the system. However, I still don't understand the problem, because it was rare to get flooding in the spring years ago.  Maybe it's the people who are managing the system???? Some say it's climate change???

Hi Jimmer, I'm not sure of what they do in Pigeon, Buckhorn and Chemong, I just know Pigeon is not a good lake to try to teach your friend how to drive a boat lol I'd love to have my cottage on Pigeon.. But I've been going to Balsam, Mitchell and Canal lake for over 50 years  and they don't take out nearly as much water out of them. Canal Lake is actually flooded farmland they use to keep Mitchel and Balsam levels high enough to keep the Trent deep enough. At one time they use to drain Canal lake dry then restock it in the spring. We use to be able to walk right across it in the fall as my cottage is on the shallow side of the lake. Then they started leaving enough water in where the trent pathway is through the middle. Recently they have taken less water out and late last fall early winter the water was only a few feet past my shoreline. I wish I had my camera there last year in the sprig to get the perch, sunfish and crappie swimming near my firepit lol. I don't think anyone the problem. It is a combo of things is my guess. Mother nature is hard to predict and with all the cuts to the MNR over the years left unqualified people running the ship. Back in 2013 when the figured it was going to be a bad year for flooding. They rose the water level under the ice. Big mistake. They destroyed peoples docks that were there for ages and bent the crap out of peoples rail system to pull their boat up on shore I was lucky. It just twisted on section of my rail system and had to replace the dock. Others rail systems where  were pointed up on a 90 degree angle lol

 

Happy fishing this year!!!

[David Chong]

On 4/30/2019 at 6:11 AM, misfish said:

My god,this is very serious. I hope the province steps in and supports ALL affected. I also hope the insurance companies are not going to look for loop holes so they don't have to pay out.

 

 

Don't you worry if they pay out guess who will be footing the bill eventually!

[captpierre]

Looks like water levels on Pigeon are receding somewhat.  Last year we had the same high levels and then had a brutal storm with crazy winds. That combo caused a lot of damage. Lots of wood and docks floating by afterwards 

[misfish]

Simcoe here looks like normal spring levels. 

[lew]

I was  over the bridge in Youngs Point an hour ago and it looks like the level has gone down a couple inches the last couple days.....hopefully anyhoo.

[jimmer]

1 hour ago, lew said:

I was  over the bridge in Youngs Point an hour ago and it looks like the level has gone down a couple inches the last couple days.....hopefully anyhoo.

Yeah, our shoreline was down a little when I got home from work yesterday. Hope to see a steady decline in levels.

[bigbuck]

Lake Rosseau is up a couple inches in the past few days. The worst is not over for Lake Muskoka.