A Flood Warning remains in effect for the North Bay-Mattawa watershed while a Flood Outlook has been issued for the Lake Nipissing Shoreline and Mattawa River downstream of Hurdman Dam.
“Approximately 80 mm of rain fell across the watershed between April 12 and 14,” says Angela Mills, Flood Duty Officer with the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority. “Month-to-date, more than 174% of normal April precipitation has been recorded at the North Bay Airport. Additional rainfall is anticipated for the coming week with 30-40 mm cumulative rain forecast mostly on Thursday (Apr 16) and Saturday.”
Flood water from Chippewa Creek impacted homes and streets in North Bay on Tuesday.
Officials say the water level was the highest recorded at the Chippewa Creek gauge since data collection began in 2002 while the volume of water moving through the system was highest since data collection began in 1974.
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Levels on Chippewa Creek, the La Vase River and Wasi River are receding while they’re still rising in the Mattawa River system, with some areas beginning to stabilize as water drains through the watershed.
The city says flooding on some streets occurred Tuesday due to a combination of already-elevated water levels from the spring melt and a large amount of rain falling in a very short period.
“This created a surge of runoff that exceeded the immediate capacity of parts of the stormwater system, leading to temporary flooding until water levels began to recede, and the system could catch up,” states a release. “Areas near Chippewa Creek were particularly affected because the creek overflowed.”
On Thursday afternoon, Duke Street, the last remaining road closed because of Tuesday’s flooding event, reopened.
With precipitation in the forecast city staff will continue to closely monitor conditions, with residents with concerns about their properties encouraged to take precautionary steps to protect their homes, including checking sump pumps, clearing drains, and moving valuables to higher ground.
A sandbag filling station is available at Public Works on Franklin Street.
