Flooding concern on Grand River
A Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker was called in to break up ice, and potential ice jams, at the mouth of the Grand River at Lake Erie Tuesday to help prevent flooding at Dunnville and Port Maitland.
The CCGS Griffon moved past Port Maitland Monday morning, creating a path in the ice toward the Lowbanks area and then headed back to anchor about a kilometre offshore of the mouth of the river.
Michael Hines, commanding officer of the icebreaker, said the Griffon was to start breaking up ice outside piers Tuesday morning and once cleared by an inspection of the ice at noon, would proceed to begin flushing operations of the Grand River.
Hines said ice thickness on the lake was varied.
“We had a look this morning (Monday) when we arrived and ice from the breakwater to about 0.6 nautical miles out was in decay but still 15 centimetres to 30 centimetres thick. Right now I am not expecting to see any ridging on the river but out on the lake we have seen ridging and large pans of brash ice mixed as high as 2.5 metres,” Hines said.
He said the vessel has to break through that ridge ice, also known as pressure ridges, carefully, and that patience is key.
“It requires a lot of power but there are times you need to make multiple runs — backing up and then going forward — without getting stuck. Sometimes we try to go up a track on a slight angle to widen it but mostly it’s just persistence and patience. Back and forth.”
Hines said breaking a track for a ship, which the Griffon has been doing on the western end of Lake Erie and Detroit River for most of the season, is different than flushing ice from a river.
“When escorting a ship, we are mostly concerned about providing a good open track for the ship to follow, and keeping them moving until arriving at their destination. When flushing ice for flood control we pay attention to what happens to the ice after it has been broken up. The ice needs to keep moving downstream, and have a place for it to go.”
The Griffon would begin to break up ice outside the Grand River and at the entrance so any broken ice in the river had a place to go as it flowed down with the current.
“If the ice was beginning to pile up on its own, we would be breaking through this to get it to flow out into the lake.
“As of right now near the entrance, I cannot see any ice jams.”
Depending on water levels, he said the icebreaker should be able to head up the river nearly a kilometre.
As the icebreaker readied to move into the river, the Canadian Coast Guard’s Central and Arctic Region advised all recreational ice users to stay clear of icebreaking operations and remove fishing huts from the area.
“Broken and fragmented icy tracks left behind by icebreaking operations may not freeze over immediately,” it said.
The Coast Guard was called in to assist at the river’s mouth after Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) issued flood warnings for its entire watershed from Wareham to Port Maitland over the weekend.
Warm weather combined with heavy rainfall was expected to cause significant runoff into the river system from Monday through to today.
“These conditions are expected to result in a total melt of the remaining snowpack and very high flows in rivers and streams across the watershed.
“This will result in flows similar to those experienced during normal spring flooding,” GRCA said on its website.
The agency said Haldimand County flood co-ordinators were asked to warn residents in the floodplain in Cayuga in anticipation of ice jam flooding as a result of the weather.
In the Dunnville-Port Maitland area, flood co-ordinators were asked to contact the Coast Guard for assistance with possible ice jams and to warn residents in the floodplain. Flows, GRCA said, were expected to peak Thursday.
“Ice jams can form and release without warning and extreme caution should be used in areas where they are occurring,” the agency said. Haldimand County fire Chief Jason Gallagher said if there is flooding at either location that firefighters and paramedics would be responsible for door-to-door notifications of residents when required.
“We are also responsible for the evacuation of individuals who may require assistance if unable to leave their home due to flooding. We also respond to calls for assistance by providing emergency response and treatment of victims requiring medical aid,” Gallagher said in an email.
He said if there is a need to evacuate, residents will be warned via social media, radio and other forms of communication, to take necessary action to ensure their safety.
“If required, emergency services will take necessary action to assist.”
Monday, Gallagher said Haldimand County Fire and EMS was working with Haldimand OPP and GRCA to ensure the best response in case of an emergency.
“OPP are monitoring river levels as well, and will notify residents in immediate danger to take necessary action, and we are working with the GRCA for updates, and consultation for direction needed for our response to any flooding.”
Gallagher said residents and visitors have been warned to stay off the ice both at the dam in Dunnville and the river in Port Maitland by media, social media and face-toface communication.