Public meetings were held for flood-affected Ottawa Valley property owners; two months after flooding ravaged the area, displacing thousands from their homes and cottages.
Hundreds of frustrated and angry residents of the Ottawa Valley demanded answers and accountability from county officials and executives of Ontario Power Generation Sunday in Arnprior. Many residents believe the river system, which experienced record-levels of water, was mismanaged; causing greater damage to homes and cottages.
“I don't think too many people in this room, however, trust OPG, the regulating committee and the board,” said Don Carmichael; one of more than a dozen residents who asked questions and made statements inside Parish Hall.
“We've got to get some answers from experts that know these systems and know what it's all about,” said Carmichael, who asked for an independent audit of the flooding management process to determine what happened in April and May and whether more could have been done to avoid record levels of spring run-off.
“2017 was supposed to be a one-time event. I hope we get the answers to say this is going to keep happening,” said Valerie Harbraken; who had called the area home for 7 years. “I really feel there's mismanagement on the waterway and I’m hoping we get a proper independent audit.”
OPG said infrastructure, including reservoirs, were full; trying to contain 300 million more cubic metres of water than normal.
“This was not mismanagement,” said Frank Trzebiatowski , Madawaska and Ottawa Rivers Production Manager with Ontario Power Generation, “We managed to the infrastructure we have on the Ottawa and Madawaska rivers. We used the reservoirs to the maximum capacity to eliminate or reduce flooding for downstream residences but once those reservoirs were full, the river, nature took its course; nature was in the driver’s seat.”
Residents aren’t buying it, “Some of the longtime residents who have been here for 60 years would say it didn’t happen 60 years ago, it hasn’t happened for all those years so why now?” said Angie MacCrae who lives along Rhoddy’s Bay and experienced flooding in her home in early May.
“Volumes above and beyond was what within our capacity, had to pass through our dams and unfortunately impacted people on various parts of our watersheds." said Trzebiatowski.
Cottagers remain fearful they’ve experienced only the beginning of flooding and damage in the area.
“With climate change and whatever is happening in terms of control of the waterway, i suspect there will be more,” said David Clemis.
Resident of McNab/Braeside, John Brady agrees with calls for a third-party investigation; hoping to learn more about what happened and how it can be better-dealt with in the future.
“We've had two major floods in three years, maybe it's time to look again; maybe it's time for the next step up in terms of the way we manage these things,” said Brady.
