Residents along the Ottawa River in Britannia and Belltown are being asked to prepare for possible flooding as water levels continue to rise heading into the weekend.
Conservation authorities say minor flooding is expected in some areas between Arnprior and Britannia, with the possibility that water levels could reach the major flood category in low-lying neighbourhoods if rainfall continues as forecast. Officials are urging residents in vulnerable areas to monitor conditions closely and take precautions around their properties.
The warning comes as a large weather system moving through the Ottawa River basin is expected to bring up to 30 millimetres of rain, along with warmer temperatures that will accelerate snowmelt upstream — both factors that typically push spring water levels higher.
The Rideau Valley, Mississippi Valley and South Nation conservation authorities say flood-prone areas downstream of Britannia toward Hawkesbury could see rising water over the coming days, with rainfall and saturated ground conditions increasing the risk.
“Residents are advised to stay away from watercourses where flows are high and where banks might be unstable,” the agencies said in a joint advisory.
“Water levels and flows have been gradually increasing along the main stem of the Ottawa River due to recent rainfall combined with snowmelt in the central portions of the Ottawa River Basin. Levels and flows are expected to continue to increase over the weekend.”
Sandbagging underway in Belltown
In Belltown, the City of Ottawa has already opened a sandbagging centre at the Belltown Dome as a precaution.
“Volunteers are needed this weekend to fill sand bags,” wrote Belltown Community Association president Alex Cullen in a social media update, noting the effort is intended to prepare in case river levels rise further.
Cullen said the Ottawa River measured 59.45 metres above sea level at Britannia on April 16 and is expected to reach about 60.15 metres by April 19, according to the Ottawa River Regulating Board. The 1-in-100-year flood level at Britannia is about 60.8 metres.
About 90 homes in Belltown are considered vulnerable at that level, he said.
Residents have been asked not to place sandbags along the National Capital Commission multi-use pathway for now, but instead to store filled bags in the Belltown Dome parking lot until they are needed.
Here is a list of sandbag filling locations across the city
- 1125 Tweddle Road
- Leo Lane at East Shore Road
- Armstrong Road between Boise Lane and Phillip Road
- 262 Len Purcell Drive (Constance Bay Community Centre)
- Greenland Road at Armitage Avenue
- 128 Moorhead Drive
- Lighthouse Lane at Loggers Way
- 2145 Roger Stevens Drive
- 4127 John Shaw Road
- Barry Mullen Park parking lot at Grandview Road
- End of Jamieson Street
- End of Rowatt Street
- 29 Hurdman Road
- 911 Industrial Avenue
Conditions still below 2019 flood peak — but uncertain
Despite the warnings, current projections suggest the river is still expected to remain below the historic peak levels seen during the 2019 flooding event, though forecasts remain uncertain and dependent on rainfall totals and upstream runoff.
The Ottawa River Regulating Committee says water levels and flows “are expected to increase and may exceed flood levels in some flood-prone areas depending on weather,” urging residents to monitor daily forecasts as conditions evolve.
For now, city crews and volunteers in west-end shoreline neighbourhoods are preparing early — a step community leaders say can make a major difference if water levels continue climbing.
“This action by the City is precautionary,” Cullen wrote in a separate update, noting the river had not yet reached the thresholds that prompted large-scale sandbag walls in previous flood seasons.