Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
Residents of West Nipissing who live near waterways, or who own waterfront property have been dealing with a noticeable increase in water levels throughout the community, causing road washouts and damage to docks and retaining walls. Heavy rains over the course of the April 12th weekend caused levels to rise in the Sturgeon River, Lake Nipissing, and in their tributaries. Now, with more rain forecast for the coming weekend, there’s some worry from local officials, but they also assure that they are keeping a close eye on things in case of an emergency.
West Nipissing Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Loeffen is in charge of monitoring the developing situation and managing the required response. Loeffen mentions that he’s been in on several phone calls with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) over the course of the last few weeks, discussing water levels and upcoming weather forecasts. Just next door, Nipissing First Nation Emergency Services Manager and Fire Chief, Melvin McLeod is doing the same for his community. “They’ve been keeping us in the loop, and we’ve been having calls basically every other day. What they’re trying to do is stabilize the lake at this point, and hopefully that rain event that’s coming on the weekend isn’t as bad as they’re anticipating, and we get through it without much increase at the lake-level,” says McLeod.
The rain event mentioned is an upcoming storm projected to begin on Thursday, April 25th, in which the Ministry anticipates another 30 to 50 millimetres of rain falling through the weekend. To put that into perspective, McLeod compares it to the heavy rain from two weeks ago. “That rain amount was equivalent to a month of April’s rain. I think we got over 25 millimetres of rain per day. I think it was pushing 80 or 90 millimetres over the 3 days,” he describes. While the upcoming rain might not be as severe, it will still influence the lake water levels, he notes.
Those 3 days also saw heavy rainfall up north in the Temagami, New Liskeard and Kirkland Lake areas which contributed to high water levels here in West Nipissing. “Temagami, New Liskeard, all the way up to Kirkland Lake, I believe they declared a state of emergency up that way because of the amount of roads they lost with that rain,” recalls Chief Loeffen, pointing out that the water in that area eventually fed into the Sturgeon River, and then Lake Nipissing. Fortunately, the dams on the west end of the lake are open, which is allowing for the water to continue down the French River. Hopefully that’s enough to keep the lake low enough to prevent major issues this coming weekend.
In the meantime, the municipality has posted on its website helpful links for flooding preparedness, and current road closures due to washouts. Public Works in West Nipissing has also been hard at work, and the Fire Chief has praised their diligence. “Public Works is dealing with it as fast as they can to get roads re-opened. They may have to wait until they can get a crew out there depending on the location, but they’re not waiting for the next event. They are getting fixed as soon as they can,” he explains, adding that the crews are dealing with quite a large municipality.
He also points out that they are being strategic with the road repairs and remaining closures. “There are still a couple minor roads, and the ones that are still closed are probably where there’s no residents beyond a certain point. They’ve been good for fixing the roads to make sure that at least residents have access in and out,” says Loeffen, using the Dubuc Road closure in Sturgeon Falls as an example. Past the point of the road closure are mostly just hunting camps, not full-time residences.
Melvin McLeod says they are prioritizing public safety, road access and homes, while structures at the water level, such as docks and boathouses, are not their main focus. The community has only had some shoreline erosion so far and hasn’t needed to deploy sandbags. However, their policy is to use them to protect homes, driveways, and well heads. “It’s basically the homes that we want to keep safe, and safe drinking water is obviously a big thing for First Nations, and driveway access should there be an emergency where we need to access a home,” he explains.
Both Fire Chiefs agree that residents also have an easy, but important role to play when it comes to safety in the coming days. Obviously, keeping away from the waterways during the storm is important, and securing objects that are at risk of washing away is also a good idea. “Make sure that if you do have stuff that is sitting in an area that has potential to be submerged, get it up or off the ground. If you have things in the yard that could float away, pick it up and secure it,” instructs Loeffen. Simply put, if it can float, move it away. “If your canoe or your boat is sitting down by the water, well if you’re not ready to launch it yet, you may want to bring it up to higher ground!”
Hopefully, enough has been done to prepare for this weekend’s rainstorm, and no major flooding ensues. So far, the Lavigne has felt the bulk of the effects of high water in the area, according to the WN Fire Chief. Another looming issue is the scarcity of sandbags. According to Loeffen, there is no longer any supply in West Nipissing, and extending the search to North Bay hasn’t provided anything either. Ideally, water levels won’t go up enough to make them necessary, but that is entirely up to Mother Nature.
For more details on flooding preparedness, including helpful links and resources, the municipality has provided a webpage:
https://www.westnipissing.ca/flooding-preparedness-april-2024/
