Flood watch for parts of Muskoka

CTV Barrie: Flooding concerns High water levels continues to be an issue for a portion of Muskoka. Roger Klein reports on what local officials want done.

Parts of Muskoka remains under a flood watch on Sunday and that has some residents in the area on edge.

The dam is open and the water is flowing fast over Bala Falls. Sandy Currie says it’s very unusual to see this much water flowing through here at this time of year and he is concerned there could be flooding downstream along the Moon River. He says cottagers should check on their properties or ask a neighbour to.

“Water levels are up and they are staying up and if they haven’t cleaned up their backyards yet they should really be encouraged to phone a neighbour or email a neighbour who is still here and may live here and get them to check on their homes in case there are things that can be moved out of the way,” said the member of the Moon River Property Owners Association.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has already issued a flood watch for the Bala Reach, Moon River, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau. There are now concerns that water levels will continue to rise because another low pressure system is moving to region with more rain and high winds.

The ministry is advising residents that docks and other shoreline infrastructure, like boat houses, could be impacted by the high water. Strong currents can also be extremely dangerous, especially for curious children.

Muskoka Lakes Mayor Alice Murphy is disturbed by the unusually high water levels. She says the township council wants the MNR to take another look at the water management plan to see if they can provide a wider safety margin.

“We are incredibly concerned that this water has to get out of the system, particularly in advance of the ground freezing or we could be in a situation like last year and it wouldn’t be a once in a hundred year flood, it would be a once a every year flood.”

Wind gusts over 70 km/h are expected Sunday night as the storm system moves across the region. Currie is concerned the wind could aggravate the situation.

“The water will be flowing towards Georgian Bay but the wind will be blowing the opposite direction which will hold back the flow of the surface of the water and create waves which may cause shoreline erosion.”

The flood watch will remain in effect for the region until Monday night.