As Stevens Creek levels slowly decline, residents of North Gower continue to deal with water in basements and on streets as a result of record setting rainfall.

On the Rideau, minor flooding of low-lying areas on the Long Reach have access issues similar to what often occurs in the spring. Parks Canada staff are doing strategic dam operations to get water levels down throughout the Canal system with as little impact as possible.

With high flows passing through the dams, boaters are advised to stay well away. Also with high waters, boat wake becomes a problem causing damage to shorelines. The best choice is to leave the boat tied up or out of the water until normal navigation levels are reached. Also, boats and docks need to be well secured to avoid floating away.

No significant rain is presently in the forecast and, therefore, the decline in levels can be expected to continue over the next week. However, with the ground saturated and little capacity for infiltration, residents need to be aware that another bout of rain could cause runoff to go directly to the streams and flows to rapidly rise again.

All residents need to be aware of the dangers around all waterbodies especially close to the dams and locks in the Canal system.

For water level and flow information in the Rideau system as well as the Ottawa River, visit the RVCA Streamflows and Water Levels webpage at:

https://www.rvca.ca/watershed-programs/reporting/streamflow-water-levels

For more information about conditions on the Ottawa River, check the webpage of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board at http://ottawariver.ca/river-levels-flows.php#river-levels-flows-7-days .