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Flood Watch continues for area waterways

North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority News Release ***** Although water levels are moderating, the risk of flooding will continue as temperatures rise this weekend and the snowpack melts; therefore the Flood Watch issued by the North Bay-Mattawa C

North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority
News Release

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Although water levels are moderating, the risk of flooding will continue as temperatures rise this weekend and the snowpack melts; therefore the Flood Watch issued by the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority remains in place for major watercourses including the La Vase River, Parks Creek, Duchesnay Creek, Wasi River and watercourses flowing into the Mattawa River system.

Municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should continue to monitor conditions and be prepared.   This Flood Watch remains in effect until Tuesday, April 22, 2014.

“Localized areas are still experiencing minor flooding.  We don’t anticipate any significant amount of rainfall over the weekend, but snow pack will continue to melt with the above zero temperatures forecast for the weekend,” said Susan Brownlee, Regulations Officer. 

As of the snow survey conducted on April 15th, snow depths range between 25 and 35 cm.  This is down between 20cm and 35 cm since last week.  Snow water equivalents are measuring approximately 5mm in the Wasi River and La Vase River subwatersheds, and 6.6mm in the Chippewa Creek subwatershed, a decrease of 40mm, 80mm and 95mm respectively.

All residents, especially those in low lying areas, are encouraged to monitor the conditions that are developing.  Banks adjacent to rivers and creeks are very slippery at this time and when combined with cold open water, pose a serious hazard.  Parents are encouraged to keep their children and pets away from watercourses and off water bodies that have unstable ice conditions. 

Municipalities are encouraged to monitor water crossings to ensure the continual movement of water through culverts and bridges.  A close watch on local conditions and updated forecasts and warnings from Environment Canada is also recommended.

Monitoring weather and flood conditions is a shared responsibility of NBMCA, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), and Environment Canada. When flooding is possible or about to occur, NBMCA issues flood messages to municipal emergency management officials and the media. The municipal officials then take action to warn local residents. 

Flood forecast messages enable the municipalities to prepare for, track and manage local flooding. Advance warning by NBMCA provides municipalities with the opportunity to put emergency plans into operation, evacuate communities if necessary, and secure property in areas that are more likely to flood.

NBMCA advises the general public through the www.nbmca.on.ca website with the flood status icon and a link to information about current conditions. NBMCA also issues these messages to the public through local media, twitter @the NBMCA  and on facebook.com/NBMCA.   The public is invited to submit photos of any watershed conditions to twitter @theNBMCA or email [email protected] .

A close watch on local conditions and weather forecasts from Environment Canada is also recommended. Environment Canada bulletins can be found at http://weather.gc.ca/  

Other information is available on the Surface Water Monitoring Centre public webpage: www.ontario.ca/flooding .

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