Île-Bizard residents on edge as water levels rise

Residents of Île-Bizard are wary as heavy rains cause local water levels to rise.

Genevieve Delisle’s house is 25 metres away from Lake of Two Mountains on Île-Bizard, and it sustained major damage from the floods last spring.  That’s why she panicked when she got a call from terrified neighbours Halloween night.

“They were telling me the water is going up, the water is going up,” she said, “and I wasn’t home.  “I was at my parents in Kirkland. So I came to my place and water went up three feet.”

In the wake of heavy rains over the last few days, the water level in the area has been rising. Their neighbourhood was one of the worst affected during the spring floods.

Now, once again, residents are on edge.

When Global News visited the area Friday morning, the water rose about one inch in half an hour. That’s not too bad but it is scary considering what happened earlier this year.  That’s why when Delisle saw the water rising Tuesday night, she called the borough.

Mayor Normand Marinacci says they decided to monitor the situation daily.

They issued an advisory and installed flood monitors in case things get much worse.

Thankfully, they don’t think it will.

“There shouldn’t be a lot of rain,” he said. “The level might go up a little bit, but should go down by Nov. 5.

Environment Canada is forecasting a return to sunshine by Nov. 7, but the borough says they have sandbags ready and plans are in place in case things get worse.

That reassures Delisle, but she’s still cautious.

“It’s the little voice inside me, saying ‘it’s the same thing in spring.’ They said it was gonna stop going up, and still, the water was going up, and up, and up.  So I’m trying to talk to myself. I’m trying to be reasonable.”