High water nearly closes entire (Rideau) Canal

High water nearly closes entire Canal

The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, June 19, 2002

The Rideau Canal is almost entirely closed to navigation due to high water conditions brought on by abundant spring rain.

After a partial closing on Saturday, Parks Canada decided to shut almost all the locks on the 202-kilometre system yesterday.

Water flows are so great in at least three sections that public safety is a concern, says Kerry McGonegal, a water management officer.

With water flowing at such a clip, a boat with a failed engine could be swept over a dam, Mr. McGonegal said. The dumping of water from high-ground lakes also leads to more debris in the water and could displace navigation aids.

Currently, there are at least three trouble spots: at Black Rapids in Ottawa, below Merrickville and just before Chaffeys Locks.

The flows at Smiths Falls are more than 85 cubic metres a second, far above their summer rates of 10 to 15 cubic metres.

It is hoped the Canal will reopen by the weekend, with two or three days of dry weather forecast this week. Peak season does not begin until July.

'It depends on rainfall, but right now we're looking at a couple of days, at least,' said Mr. McGonegal.

According to Parks Canada, there are 47 locks at 24 lockstations on the Rideau system. The water flows from lakes in the centre in two directions: toward Ottawa and Kingston.

Big Rideau has peaked, but it takes about 24 hours for that water to make its way to the Ottawa River.

It has been a remarkably wet June in the Ottawa area, with 140.2 millimetres of rain so far, more than triple the average rainfall of 42.8 millimetres.

Though there are only a few trouble spots, it makes no sense to allow boats into the system because they won't have anywhere to go and will cause congestion, said Mr. McGonegal.

On Saturday, authorities closed sections from Long Island to Hogs Back and Poonamalie to Burritts

That is beside what is beginning to be called Thomson's Landing, between Windsor Park and Brighton Beach. The water level there reached almost to Harry Thomson's flood guage Monday-Wednesday of last week, higher than in the spring floods of this year. Actual peak for this year was on that Tuesday (18th), with the speed of the current getting noticeably slower after that. Harry Thomson has records going back to the early 70s, and has never had the 'spring flood' peak so late.