Muskoka cottagers welcomed back after historic flooding, water levels still a concern

Historic spring flooding in the Muskoka region caused significant damage to permanent and seasonal residences but, despite water levels remaining above normal, officials say cottage country is open for business.

Muskoka Lakes Township Mayor Phil Harding says while water levels in the Bala area are still high, Lake Muskoka levels have dropped marginally.

"Water levels are coming down and we are slowly getting back to normal,” Harding told CTV News Toronto in a telephone interview.

More than a month after communities in cottage country declared states of emergency, Bracebridge Mayor Graydon Smith says there is still more clean-up to do. Roads are open and passable but assessments are being made on washed-out sections that may need significant repairs or resurfacing. Areas at the bottom of Bracebridge Falls are covered with silt and a water diversion structure will need to be rebuilt, he says.

"For the most part, everything held together fairly well except we have a break wall that is sheared off at the end. That break wall has been there for the better part of a hundred years and at the end of it you can see it is broken off. It is definitely going to require extensive repair work."

While the town's infrastructure sustained some damage, individual properties will require the most clean-up. Smith welcomes people from the GTA after being told to avoid the area during the flood event. When the state of emergency was declaredin early May, the Bracebridge mayor urged people to stay away from the region until it was safe. Cottage goers are now welcome back.

"Everything is pretty much ready for them to come and enjoy themselves. If they haven't been to their seasonal property yet this year they might find a bit of debris or something around that washed up on shore or perhaps,they've got some level of damage. If that's the case they should be checking with their insurer first."

Information sessions

Town officials in Huntsville, Bracebridge, and the Township of Muskoka Lakes say information sessions for property owners affected by the floodwaters will be hosted by provincial officials. The sessions will be held at the Bracebridge Sportsplex on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. and the Huntsville Civic Centre Algonquin theatre on June 12 at 7 p.m.

"Those meetings are for people who are applying or thinking of applying for disaster recovery assistance through the provincial program should attend those meetings. It’s really an opportunity to speak with people from the province and get a handle on the details and get questions answered that they may have,” Smith told CTV News Toronto.

To qualify for the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program, residents will receive information on eligibility requirements. Items such as furnaces, clean-up and emergency expenses may be covered, however the assistance will not cover renovations. Sump pump failures may be eligible for funding.