Zainab Al-Mehdar
Pontiac Feb. 2, 2022
After a devastating flood in 2019, a flood prevention task force was initiated by Jane Toller, Warden of the MRC Pontiac soon after, in November 2020. The task force sat down on Jan. 25 for the first time this season to discuss and plan for the spring thawing and watch out for any irregularities in water levels.
“I felt that our council should create a committee, representing municipalities that were flooded, but also get the decision-makers’ dams,” said Toller.
When it was created, it was a way to ease the mind . . .
of Pontiacers, and show residents that the MRC was being vigilant and that the right people were brought to the table to answer any questions people might have, noted Toller, and increase public awareness.
Julien Gagnon, the public safety coordinator at the MRC Pontiac, explained that one of the main goals was, “to ensure a proper management of the river water levels, due to the concerns some residents had on this topic.”
During their monthly meetings the task force monitors what is coming for rainfall in the months of April and May, that’s a critical period because of all the melted snow, and in the wintertime they look at the amount of snowfall which is there, noted Gagnon, to anticipate the risks.
On the agenda, the task force discussed the water levels, how they fared, and whether or not it was average. They also looked at the current reservoir levels, and lastly the amount of rain to be expected come spring.
But sometimes even with all the precautions, tough decisions have to be made. He explained that in 2019 when all the municipalities were flooding the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board, withheld as much water as they could until they started overflowing the reservoir and they experienced flooding. They had to let a little bit of water out every day which resulted in floods here, but it is all a “cost analysis ratio if you will” said Gagnon.
“It’s just that perfect storm of too much water and they have to regulate where they put it,” he added.
When it comes to the emergency response preparedness plan that is mostly done at the municipal level, The Equity spoke to Roger Larose, mayor of the municipality of Pontiac, one of the hardest-hit areas after the 2019 flood.
When he was in office in 2017 he highlighted that “the first thing we did was work on the emergency plan,” and Larose felt ready when the time came because they knew who to contact and who to ask for help.
He noted that one of the important things he is doing this year is ensuring that his emergency plan is up to date. “When you open that book everything’s in there with the contacts” added Larose. Therefore when you need equipment or sandbags you know who to call.
As they continue to monitor the situation, if water levels reach a critical point, the task force would have weekly if not daily meetings where they would review the information that would come from the dam operators. In addition, their role is to spread awareness, inform municipalities with the latest findings and assist them with what they should tell their residents.
“I would say the planning never stops,” noted Gagnon.
The committee includes representatives from Hydro Quebec, Ontario Power Generation, Ottawa River management board, two expert residents, and mayors from about seven different municipalities who are also sitting on the committee. Toller noted that Sophie Chatel and André Fortin’s assistant were present, and newly added this year were representatives from the Municipal Affairs department.
What makes this task force so unique, noted Toller, is that this is the only MRC in Quebec to have a flood prevention task force. “I’m proud of that.”
