After a week of heavy rain, flooding hit a high point for 2023 on Friday with many property owners in the Pontiac being flooded or cut off due to road closures.

Mansfield-et-Pontefract, L’Isle-aux-Allumettes and Fort-Coulonge were particularly heavily affected.

“At this point, the amount of water caused by flooding has had the same impact as 2019,” wrote Warden Jane Toller in a Facebook post on Friday.

Mansfield General Manager Eric Rochon reported that as of Monday 171 properties were either directly affected by the flooding or isolated by road closures.

L’Isle-aux-Allumettes Director General Alicia Jones reported that 105 properties were affected by the flooding, with 64 properties isolated and at risk.

Several properties in Fort Coulonge were affected or put at risk, with Centennial Park being completely submerged.

Other riverside communities were also impacted.

Chichester had nine properties experience flooding, with another 13 isolated.

Waltham reported nine properties affected by flooding and another 32 isolated.

L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet reported that several properties were impacted, though didn’t provide THE EQUITY with exact numbers. One resident had to be evacuated on the island.

Clarendon Mayor Ed Walsh reports that several properties in Sand Bay were affected by flooding, but no permanent residents had to be evacuated. Walsh said the Municipality of Clarendon had distributed 7000 sandbags to residents along the Ottawa River waterfront.

Litchfield reported that only one resident reported flooding. Campbell’s Bay likewise reported that only a few properties were directly affected by flooding.

Sheenboro reported that no properties were reported flooded, but that nine properties were isolated.

The Municipality of Pontiac Mayor Roger Larose estimated that about 25 properties were isolated as a result of the flooding on Friday with no residents reporting that their homes suffered serious flooding.

The Municipalities of Bryson and Bristol were unable to be reached on the extent of flooding, but both were affected.

THE EQUITY spoke to two Sand Bay residents on Friday about their efforts to combat the flood. Both residents were seasonal and had to rush back their to properties to sandbag.

Ian Stewart, whose property sits on Wal-A-Bet Road in Sand Bay fought against almost four feet of water from flooding his property.

Stewart said he had to constantly run water pumps starting early Thursday evening as water levels rapidly rose. He said he had to stay up throughout the early morning on Friday to keep the gas-powered pumps fueled and planned to stay up all throughout Friday and into Saturday morning. He said while his wall of sandbags was holding up great, the flooding had caused the water table to rise which was forcing him to pump out water that was seeping up from the ground.

Stewart mentioned that the Municipality of Clarendon had been great in providing sand bags and checking in on him.

Given this is the thrid time his property has seriously flooded in six years, Stewart said he and his wife need to seriously consider what they are going to do with the property.

Terry Milks is another Sand Bay cottager who had to rush back to his property on River Road to build a sandbag wall with his brothers. As of Friday afternoon, Milks said while it hadn’t been easy, his efforts were able to keep water from getting into his cottage, which was a step up from 2019.

While water levels have resided significantly since Friday, officials have warned at-risk residents to not remove sandbags or let their guard down. Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board forecast that due to the low amount of precipitation, water flows should continue to decline.

“With the forecast of sunny weather and little precipitation over the next few days, spring runoff is expected to decline slowly over the coming week. Levels are expected to continue to decline slowly along the main stem of the Ottawa River in the coming days.”

All municipal officials advised residents to stay in contact with them about the extent flooding is affecting them. Sandbags are still available from all riverside municipalities in the Pontiac.

A nearly four-foot tall sandbag wall keeping rising river from flooding a cottage on Wal-A-Bet Road in Sand Bay.

A flooded mail box on Île Frost in Mansfield-et-Pontfract.

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