Busted beaver dam causes flash flood, property damage near Calabogie, Ont.
A Greater Madawaska, Ont, resident has upwards of $100,000 in damage after a flash flood ruined his basement.
It was on May 17 when Adam Gupta says water started pouring over Calabogie Road, surrounding his home.
"There was a deluge of water coming across the street. The whole street was covered in water; cars couldn't get by," Gupta tells CTV News.
"It engulfed the whole property, washed out the driveway, engulfed both sides of the house, and washed down out to the water.
Gupta learned that the water came from a beaver dam kilometres away that had burst.
"I would assume that between here and five kilometres from here there would be more adequate water management."
Blanche Beimers is neighbours with Gupta and has been living on Calabogie Road for 60 years. She says this isn't the first time that beaver dam has given way.
"This is about the third time. About 10 years ago, it came over. Did more damage then to the road itself."
Nearly half a metre of water filled Gupta's basement.
He tells CTV News he is not eligible for flood insurance due to the high water table living along the Madawaska River.
He says his insurance provider won't cover the damage, Gupta but believes he should still be insured following the natural disaster.
"I know I don't have flood insurance from the river, but I have extended water coverage, which this should apply to because it came from above ground and not the water table," he says.
"I believe there's big part of negligence somewhere here."
Gupta is now looking for some level of government to be held accountable.
The Township of Greater Madawaska tells CTV News that it is working to determine whether the land where the beaver dam broke is Crown land, or if it belongs to the township or Renfrew County.
"The county is telling me if it's on private land, it's their problem, if it's on Crown land then there's no liability," says Gupta.
One week on from the flash flood, the Ottawa Valley resident is feeling hung out to dry.
"This is part of the infrastructure here. If it's water management then if there's a big backup like that then there's a danger to the community."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.