FRENCH RIVER, ON – Things haven’t improved but they haven’t gotten worse.
That is the word from French River Mayor Gisèle Pageau as the decision to release water from Lake Nipissing looms.
She said with sunny conditions water is evaporating, but a release of water from upriver would have a disastrous effect says the mayor.
“There will not be a release of water until we have a discussion tomorrow (Monday),” said Pageau.
“Lake Nipissing is holding its own, it’s slightly above flood level,” she explained.
Pageau estimates that should water be released from Lake Nippising approximately 1,300 homes will be affected. Many more homes could be affected around Lake Nipissing if water is not released.
Lake Nipissing is facing issues with North Bay’s sewage treatment plants potentially flooding, which would have big environmental effects.
“I believe from the last report we still have a bit of room into their system to accommodate an inflow from Lake Nipissing,” Pageau said. “I don’t blame them, they don’t want any sewer backups.”
She says if there is a backup it could affect about 20,000 homes in North Bay and area.
“50 per cent of our area would be underwater if that water is released,” she said. “How do you do a balancing act?”
The mayor is also praising the efforts of a 12-person crew from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for the continued work in the community.
“They are sandbagging and assisting some of the homeowners around the troubled areas to make sure if it is not too late, pump some of the homes out,” she said. With the average age of residents around 65, having the extra helping hands has been important.
“They have been going non-stop for the last 10 days,” she confirmed.
Pageau said she wants residents to call if they need help.
“People need help, we’re here to help, we are going to make ourselves available to anyone who calls us and we will assist them,” she said.
While some people have chosen to self-evacuate they have gone to family or friends so no emergency housing has been needed. But Pageau says the French River Arena and the Alban Community Centre can be converted into a shelter in about an hour if needed.