The Mayor of Brockton is praising the work of crews and the patience of residents after flooding in Pinkerton.
Water continues to run overland and Bruce Road 15 after a breach in a privately owned dyke.
The Municipality of Brockton is working with the County of Bruce, the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Mayor Chris Peabody says the collaborative efforts are keeping an eye on both the situation and the affected residents, “right now all of those agencies have shifts split up, they’re monitoring the site throughout the day…the situation is stable. Two of the people are still choosing to live in the flood plain…they’re being monitored each day about how they’re doing down there, if they need any help. They are able to leave the site in their vehicles.”
Peabody adds, “We had lots of staff on site assessing the situation. It was an all-hands on deck approach and (I’m) very happy with the response. We’re meeting again (our Emergency Committee) to assess the response and look at what we can do the rest of the week, as well as long term getting that hole plugged up in the dam.”
Peabody says there’s no concern of structural damage to the bridge in Pinkerton, however the road will likely need replacement “We certainly believe that, that road will be undermined, the soils underneath and it will not support traffic. So, once the river stops flowing across that road it will have to be fully assessed and we believe it will need to be rebuilt in that section.”
The Mayor added that while spring flooding in the Saugeen Watershed is normal, he’s never seen anything like the situation in Pinkerton, “usually you see the flood plain rising gradually but in this case it’s a raging torrent of water and it continues today to be a raging torrent of water that’s cutting its own course. Thankfully, it’s just grazing the homes and creating flooding…it’s not the kind of torrent that will rip the homes away from their foundations.”
Officials say the flooding is currently localized to Pinkerton and is not expected to impact surrounding communities.
Officials say water levels in rivers and streams across the watershed peaked late last week and have been steadily dropping since.
Weather forecasts call for temperatures to remain mostly below freezing over the next several days, with little rainfall expected. Those conditions should help slow runoff and allow water levels to continue declining.
However, Saugeen Conservation warns that hazardous conditions still exist around rivers, streams and low-lying areas. With March Break underway and more people spending time outdoors, residents are being urged to stay clear of waterways and supervise children closely.
Saugeen Conservation staff say they will continue monitoring conditions and will issue further updates if necessary.
The current advisory is expected to remain in effect until March 20 unless conditions change.