City of Gatineau shifting to flood recovery operations as water levels decline

A flooded street in Gatineau is seen on April 29, 2026. (Brad Quinn/CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Gatineau says it is shifting its flood response to recovery operations now that water levels on the Ottawa River have started to decline.

The Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board said on Tuesday that with no major rainfall in the forecast over the next week, water levels and flows are expected to continue to decline gradually between Mattawa and Montreal, though levels will remain “generally high” for at least another week with runoff from the north still moving through.

In a news release on Wednesday, the City of Gatineau said it would be closing its sandbagging sides gradually throughout the day but urged residents to remain cautious and keep dikes in place until further notice.

The city says anyone who requires services from the Red Cross and has not yet registered will have until 6 p.m. Thursday to register in person at the disaster assistance centre at 850, boul. de la Gappe. After that, registrations will only be accepted by telephone.

Some streets that were previously closed because of high water levels have reopened to local traffic. A map is available on the city’s website.

The city says it is working to reopen streets as soon as conditions allow.

On Monday, the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority downgraded its flood warning for the lower Ottawa River to a flood watch, saying water levels between Arnprior and Hawkesbury had stabilized and are expected to gradually decline.

The Ministry of Natural Resources of Ontario said on Tuesday that a flood warning remains in effect between Pembroke and Arnprior.

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