West Island officials and homeowners brace for worsening of spring floods
West Island municipalities remain on alert for potential flood waters as rain falls on Monday — but are cautiously optimistic as the situation remains stable.
Although drops in the levels and flows in the Rivière des Prairies were observed over the weekend, the Pierrefonds-roxboro borough announced the minor flood threshold has still been reached.
“The water went down again yesterday, slightly,” Jim Beis, borough mayor, said Monday. The trend in recent days is for the local water levels to remain stable or to recede, he added.
West Island officials are mindful that melting snow and water flow from northern parts of Quebec could effect levels in Lac des Deux Montagnes.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Beis said. “We are cautious knowing that the water can fluctuate from one moment to the next.”
Beis noted preventive measures such as the placement of dikes have already been implemented by borough staff. Sandbags have been prepared and strategically stocked in at-risk neighbourhoods in case these need to be delivered to individual homeowners in the coming days or weeks.
A system of sealing balloons are installed in storm sewer pipes that are ready to be inflated if needed to block the back-flow of water, he added.
“We’re being extremely proactive. We’re learning our lesson from 2017,” Beis said.
“We continue to be involved on the ground, creating and building barriers safeguards. In the eventuality it goes to the critical level, at least we have a lot of the infrastructure in place.”
Pierrefonds-roxboro and Steanne-de-bellevue have placed their own markers to gauge water levers in their territory, which are checked several times a day.
“A drop of a few centimetres is huge when you look at the waterway we are managing,” Beis said.
Ste-anne-de-bellevue officials are monitoring water levels in both Lac St-louis and Lac des Deux-montagnes.
“It’s very stable. Right now, there’s no reason to be overly concerned. So we’re cautiously optimistic,” Mayor Paola Hawa said Monday.
Ste-anne residents living in a flood zone, mainly near the Godin
Park area, can receive up to four pallets of sandbags, free of charge, by calling the town at 514-457-6666, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., as of Wednesday, April 15.
If or when volunteers are called to help neighbours, such as for placing sandbags, they must comply with social distancing measures set by health authorities.
Homeowners should take note of these government directives and be prepared to be more autonomous with protecting their own property ahead of cresting water levels, Hawa advised.
“That’s the reality (of the COVID-19 pandemic). We can’t just call in public works, apart from delivering the sandbags. We can’t condone calling in volunteers,” she said.
During the past floods in 2017 and 2019, the town’s community really came together to help each other out, Hawa said. “This year that’s not going to happen,” she added.
The boroughs of Ahuntsic-cartierville, L’île-bizard—ste-geneviève and Pierrefonds-roxboro as well as the towns of Ste-annede-bellevue and Senneville have been cited as at risk of flooding by Montreal civil security officials. These areas were affected by flooding in spring 2017 and 2019. Information brochures are being distributed to these residents explaining what to do before, during and after floods.