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Residents in Deer Lake and communities along the Humber River — and those camping in the area over the long weekend — say they’re keeping a close eye on rising water levels.
“You could walk out [in Grand Lake] 200 feet last summer, and now it’s only about three feet from the top of our bank,” camper Ryan Critchley told CBC News Friday. He’s staying at the Deer Lake RV Park, sitting right on the bank of Grand Lake.
“Hopefully it doesn’t come up much more than it is now. But I suspect it will come up a couple more feet, for sure.”
Water levels across Deer Lake and the surrounding area have reached dangerously high levels, bringing the potential for flooding over the long weekend.
WATCH | So far so good, but things could change quickly:
Deer Lake on flood watch as water level rises rapidly
Residents of Deer Lake and nearby towns are watching the water. Just a year after drought conditions revealed logs that haven’t been seen in decades, the town is on flood watch. The CBC’s Leila Beaudoin met a man who’s measuring the difference.
Deer Lake Mayor Dean Ball said on Friday that Grand Lake has risen by 15 centimetres since Wednesday night. It rose by six centimetres over the course of Thursday, meaning there’s less than 25 centimetres of clearance before the water breaches the main dam at Deer Lake Power.
“We’re quite used to this, but you know, Mother Nature has a way of putting a twist on things,” Ball said. “It is nervewracking, and it is for residents [too].”
Flood gates at Deer Lake Power opened on Friday in order to lower the reservoir. Two gates opened between 11 and 11:30 a.m. NT.
But with the gates opening and water leaving the reservoir, water levels in the vicinity around Deer Lake are expected to rise further as a result.
Ball said that will likely begin to be observed between 12 and 20 hours after the gates open.
The Town of Steady Brook, located along the Humber River, issued a caution on Friday morning. An alert sent through the Voyent app asked residents to stay away from river banks and ensure outdoor equipment and belongings were properly secured.
Deer Lake Mayor Dean Ball says the town is watching water levels closely, but things can change quickly. (Leila Beaudoin/CBC)
In nearby Nicholsville, residents like Myrna Moss are watching the water. Moss said she isn’t worried about flooding just yet.
“We’re on a little high [spot] right there, so to date we have not got flooding,” Moss said. “I can’t say that we’re worried, but it is a concern.”
Although the town usually sees rising water levels each year, Ball said variables in play this year make this case more extreme. More melting snow means more water, he said, and that water is also moving faster than usual.
“Things change hourly when you got water, especially faster moving water,” he said.
Emergency crews are prepared and ready should there be flooding, Ball said. He’s encouraging people to stay away from river banks and be prepared in the event of a flood.
“We just want to keep people safe, we want them to have the information that we have and we want everybody to come out of this unscarred,” he said.
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