Northern communities cope with ongoing flooding concerns

As Callander and North Bay continue to deal with flooding from Lake Nipissing, both municipalities are assessing the damage and are monitoring high water levels from the lake.

As Callander and North Bay continue to deal with flooding from Lake Nipissing, both municipalities are assessing the damage and are monitoring high water levels from the lake. (Photo from video)

This as the conservation authority extends its flood warning.

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The high water mixed with winds damaged the breakwall and dock in Callander’s Centennial Park, resulting in about $400,000 in damage.

“When I was first in council way back in the early 2000s, we put this breakwall in because of events just like this and it washed out a lot of beach here,” said Callander Mayor Robb Noon.

Noon heard the dam at the French River will be opened to release more water than normal in hopes of keeping the water level stable. The municipality doesn’t budget for flooding.

“We don’t normally … have a line in the item that says great this is for flooding,” he said.

“We have little contingencies that if we need to dip into. Hopefully, we’re looking at getting insurance.”

The flood warning for Lake Nipissing is being extended for North Bay, Callander and for the Parks Creek watershed.

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In North Bay, two sandbagging filling locations remain open as the city anticipates a large rain system approaching this weekend

“We’ll be running them absolutely through the weekend,” said Karin Pratte, City of North Bay senior environment and facilities engineer.

“We have given out around 5,000 to residents and we do have a stockpile here. So I’d say we have about another 500 sandbags ready to go.”

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The city expects water levels to remain stagnant for the next 24 to 48 hours until the system arrives, which it and the conservation authority will monitor closely.