Mik Horvath/MBC
The leader of the MRC Pontiac says something needs to be done to stop the frequent flooding happening in the Ottawa Valley.
In a statement shared with the community, Warden Jane Toller is calling on the governments of Quebec, Ontario, and Canada to revisit a study conducted after major flooding in 1979 that proposed adding an additional reservoir in either northern Ontario or western Quebec, saying that people and businesses cannot live with stress and uncertainty each spring.
The reservoir would need to be above the 13 current reservoirs in an area with steep valleys and low social use, space that Toller believes is available in crown-owned land in Quebec.
The Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board was eventually developed in place of the proposed reservoir to regulate flooding and seasonal flow. However, Toller says that the ORRPB can only control so much of the river and that the only reliable solution is more holding power through reservoirs.
Toller is now looking to enlist the support of the municipalities bordering the Ottawa River, as well as local members of provincial and federal government, on a resolution to get an updated version of the study with current costs factored in.
Not only would the reservoir give communities on both sides of the water from the Valley to Montreal peace of mind, Toller believes it would line up with the current federal government’s interest in larger infrastructure projects.
(written by Kasey Egan)
