‘For us it’s a unique situation’: As Gatineau flood waters rise, a lake empties upstream

As water levels rose and rivers raged in the National Capital Region this week, a strange thing was happening upstream.

In the municipality of Lac-Sainte-Marie, about 100 kilometres north of flood-ravaged Gatineau, the lake water is much lower than it should be at this time of year.

Two to three metres lower, in fact.

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Yvon Blanchard, director-general of the municipality, said it’s the lowest water level he’s ever seen.

“The same thing happened in 1974 when the water went high everywhere (else),” he said. “It’s still going down.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The same thing happened in 1974 when the water went high everywhere (else)," he said. "It's still going down."

Blanchard explained that as the Gatineau River runs alongside Lac-Sainte-Marie and then passes near the lake’s southern tip, the water is forced into a narrow corridor and down a 30-metre drop over a short distance.

That geography means the river speeds up and actually forms a whirlpool where it meets the lake.

“It makes a suction of the lake,” Blanchard said, standing on the dry lake bed. “It’s unique, I don’t see it other places. For us it’s a unique situation.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It makes a suction of the lake," Blanchard said, standing on the dry lake bed. "It's unique, I don't see it other places. For us it's a unique situation."

The resulting lake-drain isn’t causing any issues in his community, he added, but all that extra water is only contributing to the problems to the south where the Gatineau River and the Ottawa River join up.

Hundreds of homes have been evacuated and the flood damage is widespread in the National Capital Region.

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Blanchard said his municipality is in daily contact with Quebec’s public safety ministry to keep updated on the situation. The community of 600 permanent residents swells to 3,000 during the summer months.

“It’s a day-to-day, even an hour-to-hour situation,” he said, adding there is nothing that could have been done to prevent the odd natural phenomenon.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a day-to-day, even an hour-to-hour situation," he said, adding there is nothing that could have been done to prevent the odd natural phenomenon.

The last time it happened, over 40 years ago, the lake eventually returned to normal.

Water levels dropping

Downstream, residents of Ottawa, Gatineau and the other communities along the swollen rivers got more good news on Tuesday as officials confirmed the water levels in the region have gone down — albeit only slightly.

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It could be the end of May before the levels are back to seasonal norms, according to Quebec’s Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux, but for now, there is little rain in the forecast and the temperature is expected to warm up later this week.

The city of Ottawa is hosting three information sessions Tuesday to assist residents.

In Gatineau, federal and provincial workers who normally commute over the bridges for work are still being encouraged to stay home. The city is providing regular updates on its website for volunteers and residents.

The federal government, meanwhile, is expected to provide an update on its efforts to assist flood-affected communities at 2 p.m. ET. Over 1,700 Canadian Forces personnel have already been deployed in Quebec.

— With files from Bryan Mullan