Quebec’s Richelieu River area in danger of more floods

MONTREAL – After several days of sunny skies and warm winds, the people living on the banks of Quebec’s Richelieu River are once again facing the prospect of rising flood waters.

Environment Canada is predicting nothing but rain for the next seven days, a forecast that could seriously hamper cleanup efforts and slow the retreat of the swollen river, which breached its banks in late April and hit record-high levels on May 6.

As of 1 p.m. Saturday, Hydro Meteo – the agency that tracks water levels for the Quebec Department of Public Security – reported that the water levels along the Richelieu River and in Lake Champlain were stable or decreasing slightly.

A drop of five to eight centimetres was being predicted before the end of the day, but with up to 60 millimetres of rain expected to fall on the region between Saturday and Tuesday, officials said those gains could vanish and the river could begin rising again as early as Sunday afternoon.

“We are aware that many people in the region are worried about the weather forecast,” said Yvan Leroux, regional director of civil protection for the Monteregie and the Eastern Townships. “I must reiterate that the Richelieu River is under constant surveillance. We’re in constant communication with Hydro Meteo and Environment Canada for the most up-to-date forecasts.”

Leroux, who spoke to the media in St. Jean sur Richelieu, said that despite the fact that 10 millimetres of rain had already fallen as of 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the river had actually dropped four centimetres. Officials were hopeful it would recede by another four centimetres before the end of the day.

“We’re still at record levels,” Leroux noted. “We’ve never had levels this high on May 14.”

At this stage, he said, the biggest concern remains the direction of the wind. The northerly winds blowing through the region over the past few days have helped keep the water in Lake Champlain from flowing into the Richelieu River, but if the wind switches direction and begins moving south, the river could swell rapidly.

“Considering the height of Lake Champlain, that could really create a problem,” Leroux said.

The floods – the worst in more than 140 years – have damaged more than 3,000 homes in 20 municipalities. Over 1,000 people have been forced to evacuate the area, and the vast majority are still waiting to be given the all-clear to return home. Leroux said it’s unclear how long they may have to wait.