The quaint, lakeside town of North Hatley in Quebec’s Eastern Townships is normally bustling with tourists during the summer months, with many taking to the waters of Lake Massawippi, renting paddle boats, kayaks or pleasure crafts to wile away slow summer days.
But last week, the town was pummelled with 100 mm of rain causing flooding in the area, wiping out local beaches, and raising water levels under the main bridge in town so high that boats can no longer fit underneath to reach the marina.
“I haven’t seen water levels like this for 25 years,” said North Hatley Marina owner Steve Piercy. He was forced to close his marina and cancel all boat rentals until the water subsides, because currents are too strong for kayakers and paddlers, and boats can’t fit under the bridge to reach the lake.
“This is our main money maker, construction holiday,” Piercy said. “It’s very upsetting. It’s rough enough as it is. It’s hard.”
Town officials estimate the lake’s levels rose by almost five feet after several brutal summer rainstorms back to back.
Water also burst onto the town’s central green spaces, flooding picnic areas popular with cycling tourists looking for a break.
The popular public swimming area was closed after its beach was completely covered in water, with all swimming lessons for children cancelled until at least next week.
The regional body responsible for all the towns on the lake, including Ayer’s Cliff, Ste. Catherine de Hatley, the Canton de Hatley and Hatley, closed all public access points for boats on the lake. The Regie de Parc Regionale de Lac Massawippi also issued an advisory to locals to not use their boats for fear of floating debris in the water, and for the erosion the waves could cause to the shoreline.
“There are logs floating, pieces of dock floating, so if a boater is on the lake and he is not paying attention and he hits a log, it could be catastrophic,” said Patrick Clowery, of the Regie de Parc Regionale de Lac Massawippi.
Clowery said the Regie cannot ban boating on the water as waterways are controlled by the federal government. But he urged locals to stay away from the lake, saying hundreds of docks and trees were destroyed in the storm, leaving the lake full of debris.
He said Massawippi’s waters have several tributaries bringing water into the lake, but they are all funneled out through one access point, a small dam leading to the Massawippi River. He said the dam can’t handle all the water currently coursing through it, causing large, aggressive rapids on the river. He says it may take some time for water levels to go down.
“It takes a very long time because quite often what happens is more water comes in than goes out,” he said.
Quebec’s civil security department is monitoring water levels.
Antoine Gauthier, a spokesperson for the civil security regional section of the Quebec Public Security Ministry, said the department is monitoring the water levels on the lake, which have come down slightly this week.
“We are in daily communications with the towns all around the lake to make sure there aren’t major needs or consequences,” Gauthier said. “It meets the criteria for flood watch … We will help out if needed.”
Gauthier added this weekend will be especially critical for the lake level, as Environment Canada is predicting up to 30 mm of rain for the area.
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