French River – Lake Nipissing Water Levels Part II of III

FRENCH RIVER – LAKE NIPPISSING

WATER LEVELS

PART II of III

March 2012

The spring of 1947 saw one of the worst floods on the French River.  There was considerable damage to tourist lodges and camps along the river.  Probably the worst single case of damage was suffered by Pine Cove Lodge on Wolseley Bay.  The entire lower level floors of the main lodge were completely flooded.

That same year saw the formation of the French River Resorts Association.  One of the first efforts of the Association was to launch a lawsuit against the Federal Government, the Department of Public Works for damages caused as a result of mis-management of the French River dams.  It had only recently become possible to sue the Federal Government.  The FRRA lawsuit was one of the first, and the litigation was successful.

Damages were paid to approximately ten businesses.  Just as important, the lawsuit led to a flood limit being established at Dry Pine Bay.  Should this new flood limit be exceeded as a result of mis-management of the dams and not by natural causes or acts of God, the Dept. of Public Works could be held liable for damages.

There have been several floods since 1947, some quite damaging, but never as bad as the 1947 flood, and as a result many changes were made over the years.  Roads were re-routed and raised.  Boathouses and cottages were also raised or moved out of harms way.  Most importantly, a general awareness by property owners of what water levels can be like and how to cope with them is now the case.  There has also been flood plain mapping completed along the French River and Lake Nippissing, and restrictions have been put in place regarding where new buildings are permitted.

For over 60 years, The French River Resorts Association has continued to be active in getting more consideration from the Dept. of Public Works in their operation and management of the French River dams.  Property damage as a result of water levels is a serious issue but it pales compared to the damage that has occurred to the French River fisheries over the years as a result of varying water levels at spawning times.  The fisheries were, and still are of primary importance to the tourist industry on the French River.

Consider these facts about fish spawning.  Northern Pike spawn early, right after the ice-out and   they can also be seen spawning in shallow water before the ice is completely gone.  They lay their eggs in 8 to 18 inches of water.  If the water level is dropped a foot after spawning, the eggs are high and dry. If the   water level is raised by 2 feet or more, no sunlight is available and the eggs do not hatch.  It is the same for Walleye but the window is not quite so narrow in regards to the water levels.  For decades there was no concern on the part of the Dept. of Public Works or the Ministry of Natural Resources over the damage being done almost every year.  Levels were raised or lowered at critical spawning times with little or no regard to what was happening to the fisheries.

The French River Resorts Association became increasingly more aware of the water level issue as the years passed and fishing success continued to decline.  The Association was very persistent in their request for changes to be made in the mandate and operational guidelines used by the Dept. of Public Works in the management of the French River dams.  The Association demanded that down river concerns and priorities be recognized when deciding on raising or lowering water levels at critical times.

In spite of the pressure, the Dept. of Public Works continued to see their role and mandate as first, the Lake Nippissing navigation level on the 15^th of May each year.Secondly, flood amelioration on Lake Nippissing and the French River.  It took years of effort on the part of French River Resorts Association before the DPW started to change their thinking.

The fact that the Dept. of Public Works had been successfully sued in the early 1950’s kept the D.P.W trying to avoid another lawsuit. The D.P.W undertook what at first appeared to be flood relief work on the French River.  During the late 1960’s and 1970’s widening and deepening of the channels at Pine Rapids, Horseshoe Falls, the Little French cut and the Dallas Rapids was carried out.  None of this work was ever really intended to stabilize water levels on the French River.  The work was only intended to permit more cubic meters of water to be discharged at the dams when Lake Nippissing was very high without exceeding the flood limit levels on the French River.

Part III will continue with the water level history and we will learn what was accomplished and how we got there.