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Flooding is expected in the Rideau River watershed today and through the weekend. Previous rain from the beginning of the week has increased water levels throughout the watershed. Parks Canada staff have been making adjustments at all dams to reduce the water levels with some success. However, there is still excess water in the Rideau Canal reservoir lakes. Christie Lake on the Tay River, is expected to have further flood issues as water is released from Bobs Lake to relieve ongoing high water there. Releases from Big Rideau Lake will have to be made today which will increase flows downstream.…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
Rain forecast for Friday and Saturday is expected to cause levels to increase again.. Parks Canada staff had begun preparations for the opening of the Rideau Canal navigation season prior to the heavy rain last Monday. Dams that had been closed had to be re-opened to pass water through the system to bring levels down. The level on the Long Reach had begun to decline but will increase again due to rain that is forecast for Friday and Saturday. A widespread weather system is forecast to drop a two day total of 35 to 70 millimetres of rain on Eastern…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
May 04, 2017
Water Levels to Increase in Lower Ottawa River
Rain forecast for Friday and Saturday is expected to cause water levels to continue to rise through the weekend. This Flood Warning applies to areas around Lac Deschene, at Petrie Island and at Boise Village to the east of Cumberland. Another rain event is forecast for Friday and Saturday with a possible two-day total of 35 millimetres to as much as 70 mm. Increased water levels will occur whatever the total rainfall is. Levels could increase by 25 to 35 centimetres depending on timing, location and amount of rain. The rain is forecast to taper off on Sunday so a…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
May 02, 2017
Rain Brings Water Levels Up On Rideau
The rain event yesterday has caused water levels in the Rideau watershed to rise again. Water levels in the Rideau Valley had fallen close to historical average levels since the spring freshet peak on April 7. As much as 60 millimetres of rain on Monday has caused levels to increase again. Another 70 millimetres is forecast to start Thursday and continue through the weekend which can be expected to cause a further rise of water levels. Low-lying communities along the Long Reach of the Rideau between Kars and Kemptville can expect to see out of bank levels and it is…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
Rain on Monday has pushed water levels in the Ottawa River above the peak reached last week. This Flood Warning is specific to areas around Lac Deschene, at Petrie Island and at Boise Village, east of Cumberland. A short-lived peak can be expected on Wednesday. Rain, possible on Thursday but probable for Friday and through the weekend, is expected to increase levels further. Peak elevation at Britannia last week was 59.924 metres above sea level. At 10:00 this morning, the level was 60 metres. Downstream of the Chaudiere Falls the peak level last week was 44.09 metres. The measurement this…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
Megan Peacock
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Engineering and Regulations
Rain forecast for the first week of May can be expected to cause water levels to rise significantly in the Ottawa River. Rainfall forecast for today could raise levels to what were reached last week. Additional rain forecast to fall this week can be expected to at least maintain levels and possibly cause further increases.around Lac Deschene, at Petrie Island and at Boise Village, east of Cumberland. Within the Rideau watershed, levels will increase but no flooding issues are expected at this time with the exception of Bobs and Christie Lakes which have continued to have high levels since the…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
The Hearts Desire Weir is a low-head inline structure operated seasonally on the Jock River between two communities, Hearts Desire and Stonebridge. The Jock River is a tributary river to the Rideau River located about 900 m downstream of the weir. The weir was constructed in 1975 to: provide higher summer flows and thereby improve habitat conditions for fish and wildlife; ensure adequate water for livestock watering; provide community ponds for fire protection and community beautification; and improve the year-round appearance of the river and lessen the likelihood of future pollution problems resulting from expanding urbanization.
Over the last 42 years, a great deal about the watercourse and its neighbouring communities has changed, including:
- concepts on how rivers and watersheds are managed,
- occupational health and safety risks associated with the annual installation and removal of the weir,
- concerns from local community groups about slope failures and erosion upstream of the weir; and,
- indications from whitewater enthusiasts that the weir site is considered to be hazardous by canoeists and kayakers.
In February 2008, the RVCA Board of Directors approved the development of a plan to decommission the Hearts Desire Weir. In response to public input, a restoration plan for the Jock River and its riverbank was also initiated. The decommissioning plan and restoration plan is now in draft form and ready for public input.
The RVCA is committed to maintaining the current operation of the weir until such a time that the Board of Directors chooses an alternative.
For more information, contact Terry Davidson at or 613-692-3571 ext. 1107 or Mike Yee at or ext. 1176.
Resources
Shoreline Property Owner Package, November 2013
- Hearts Desire Weir Decommissioning and Riparian Restoration Plan Protocol
- Landowner Contact — Shoreline Site Visits
- Landowner Contact Surveying of Estimated Water Levels
Hearts Desire Riparian Restoration Concept Report, October 2011
hd-Riparian_Restoration_PlanFINAL.pdf
Appendix I: Community Representatives Meeting Minutes - September 2010 and Open House Meeting Notes - December 2010
Parish Geomorphic Hydraulic Modeling Technical Report, July 2011(11 mb)
J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd. Jock River Conservation Study, June 1968
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Special Projects
April 21, 2017
High Waters in Lower Parts of Ottawa River Watershed
The rise of flood waters on the Ottawa River is slow but continuing and is approaching the 1:10 year flood frequency*. The slow rise of flood waters on the Ottawa River will continue today aided by runoff from the overnight rains. Levels had dropped yesterday on Lac Deschene but have risen again today. Downstream of Chaudiere Falls the rate of rise decreased slightly but that is likely to change with the impact of the rain. The locations at risk of flooding on the Ottawa River within the jurisdiction of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority are communities around Lac Deschene (e.g.…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
More...
April 19, 2017
"Minor" Drought Status Rescinded
The drought status in the Rideau River watershed that was left at “Minor” after a dry year in 2016 is, by this statement, reduced to “Normal”. The uncertainty that prompted holding the Minor status through the winter was because it wasn’t clear what state groundwater resources had been left at as the onset of winter arrived. With a period of warmer temperatures and the loss of much of the snow cover by late March, there was an opportunity to access the monitoring wells in the Rideau River watershed. Measurements indicated that groundwater levels had been restored to about the long…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
April 19, 2017
Flood Watch to Include Ottawa River
As water levels and flows in the Rideau River watershed recede, levels on the Ottawa River have been rising. Rain on Saturday and Sunday had little impact on stream flows anywhere in the Rideau watershed. Rain forecast for Wednesday and Thursday of about 30 millimetres can be expected to cause flows to rise by as much as 50 cubic metres per second on the Rideau. This will not be enough to bring on the return of flooding in those areas recently affected. Levels on three of the four Rideau Canal reservoir lakes have been declining very slowly but are sensitive…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
April 12, 2017
Flood Warning Downgraded to Flood Watch
With access ways to the waterfront properties on the Long Reach of the Rideau River (Kars to Burritts Rapids) again passable, the Flood Warning, in place for the last week, is now reduced to Flood Watch. Rain forecast for Saturday evening into Sunday is expected to cause an upturn in flows in the Rideau system. However, flows are expected to have receded sufficiently by then that the increase will have a minor impact. The expectation is that flows, as measured at the recording station at Carleton University, will increase to about 280 cubic metres per second (cms) by early Monday.…
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Watershed Conditions Statements
Access water chemistry results by searching your area of interest or zooming into an area and selecting a sampling site.
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Monitoring & Reporting
