The City of Ottawa has established a Spring Freshet Taskforce each year since the 2017 freshet. The goal of the taskforce is to prepare for, monitor and respond to the needs of residents across the city. Much of the planning and operational response focuses on communities and city assets known to be impacted by seasonal flooding along the various rivers within the city, but especially along the Rideau River and Ottawa River.
Each year, sandbag filling stations are created for the benefit of residents who experience flooding on their properties. These stations are installed in locations that are convenient to affected communities. Updates on sandbag stations will be provided on both the Spring Maintenance and Flood Control and Spring Flooding 2023 pages of Ottawa.ca.
We experienced significant flooding in 2017 and 2019. The freshets experienced in each of these years required the mobilization of a significant number of City resources, volunteers, provincial support, and in 2019, a request for support from the Canadian military.
Read the full City Memo on the 2023 Spring Freshet Taskforce, Planning and Flood Preparedness below: