The Ottawa River is expected to stop rising for now in the Ottawa-Gatineau area by the middle of the week, according to the latest forecast.
Sunday afternoon’s update from the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board said the more western Pembroke, Lac Coulonge and Arnprior water levels are stable at flood levels well above average and what they saw last year.
They should all end up about 60 centimetres below their all-time records in 2019 for this rise, which is being pushed along by days of rain and snow melting further north.
Communities further downstream, or east, were expected to see higher water before levelling off on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Britannia and Thurso could see about another 25 centimetres rise from Sunday’s mark and Hull could see about 40 centimetres, according to the board. They are all expected to stay at least 60 centimetres from all-time records of the last decade.
Major flooding, which means a significant number of buildings and streets have been affected, is expected in the area for the fourth time in the last 10 years after 2017, 2019 and 2023.
Last year was generally considered a minor flood.
Fort-Coulonge, Que., declared a state of emergency on Sunday evening to help its flooding response.
The community of about 1,300 people west of Gatineau has set up two dikes and closed its Marchand Bridge, also known as the Red Bridge.
Free sand is available at the arena on rue du Centre Récréatif. People who need bags can call 819-664-0301.
Residents are asked to limit use of drinking water to help the water treatment plant.
There is a growing list of road closures across the region because of flooding.
Over the weekend the Highway 50 eastbound ramp to Gatineau’s rue Saint-Louis was closed because of water levels, as it has in past spring floods.
Gatineau has several flooding-related road closures and restrictions, mostly between Pointe-Gatineau and Templeton, and Ottawa has two near its east end: Tweddle Road to Petrie Island and Boisé Lane.
The Ecolos ferry between Thurso and Clarence-Rockland is closed and there are restrictions on the Bourbonnais ferry between Cumberland and Masson-Angers. The Quyon Ferry has regular service.
Many flood-affected municipalities are offering sand and/or bags, closing roads and making other changes, such as Arnprior, Clarence-Rockland, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Mansfield-et-Pontefract and Whitewater Region. Check with yours for the latest information.
Off the Ottawa River, there are flood watches — the second-highest level on the province’s four-level scale — along the Mississippi River, the Tay Valley and Rideau Lakes areas on the Rideau River watershed and for inland waterways in Quinte Conservation.
Quebec’s flooding map lists medium flooding risks, or areas where people could need to leave home or sewers could back up, on the Rivière Coulonge in Mansfield et Pontefract and Rivière de la Petite Nation in Ripon.
There is minor flooding in places such as Gracefield and Sainte-Thérèse-de-la-Gatineau and flooding concerns on the Gatineau River near the Alonzo Wright Bridge.
