Mattawa braces for flooding, residents protect property from high water

Water from the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers continues to climb.

Anxious homeowners are doing all they can to protect their properties, fearing what might yet come.

Roger Ternan lives on the edge of the Ottawa River on Timmins Street. Since mid-Monday, he's been racing against the clock creating a wall of sandbags in his backyard as water creeps closer to his property.

"I'm trying to keep an eye on it and manage what I can," he said while adding sandbags to the wall.

"We're just trying to (re-enforce) a bit of the barrier."

The town has created a berm along Mattawan Street where the Mattawa River runs along the side of the road.

In 2019, 15 trailers at Sid Turcotte Park were lost when high water levels swept through. As of Wednesday, the water is at the camp's driveway.

"When it happened last time, we had no notice. This time we've had a bit more time to be prepared," said campground owner Brooke Foster.

In Mattawa, water from the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers continues to climb. Anxious homeowners are doing all they can to protect their properties, fearing what might yet come. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

"They are expecting another 20 inches in the next couple of days. If we get that, we will need our sandbag wall. We are preparing."

Ken Lacelle's Sixth Street home basement has a few splotches of water in it already. The sum pump is going non-stop. When the 2019 flood swept through town, his basement had more than three feet of water.

He’s worried it's only a matter of time until the basement is flooded again.

"We were just getting back to normal and having a normal house again," Lacelle said.

"It took a long time for everything to get fixed up. Last time it was coming out of the side door, out of the floor and now it seems to be starting coming out of the new floor."

Mattawa Mayor Raymond Belanger declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon.

The municipality is asking for volunteers to fill sandbags behind the Mike Rodden Arena, so they can be delivered to homeowners near the water. A group of Grade 11/12 Élisabeth-Bruyère Catholic High School students joined the effort Wednesday afternoon. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

The town's Municipal Emergency Control Group, which formed after the last flood, has been notified by the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board and the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority that water levels are expected to continue rising until they reach a peak of about 154 metres, which corresponds to a rise in the water level of 45-50 cm.

"The assurance they're giving us is the historical levels of 2019 won't repeat themselves," said Belanger.

"It's deja vu. Mattawa should be called 'resilient'. We're fighting Mother Nature. If this rain event could leave, that will help."

Belanger said there has been more consistent communication between authorities and the town compared to when the previous flood occurred.

The municipality is asking for volunteers to fill sandbags behind the Mike Rodden Arena, so they can be delivered to homeowners near the water.

A group of Grade 11/12 Élisabeth-Bruyère Catholic High School students joined the effort Wednesday afternoon.

"It's a really tight-knit community and we always help each other out and it's to see everyone come together," said Grade 12 student Dreyden Chatelain.