Officials urge caution as Nith River floods again
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Lee Griffi
When flooding affects New Hamburg or other parts of Wilmot Township, several local and regional organizations coordinate the response to keep residents safe and informed.
The Nith River was up to its old tricks again over the weekend and into this week, something that keeps several township departments hopping.
Acting Wilmot Fire Chief Andrew Mechalko said his staff acts as boots on the ground during flooding events, including his volunteer firefighters.
“We keep a pulse on the community, and I’d say it’s a bonus to have eyes throughout the community. One of our firefighters saw somebody canoeing, so we went and tried to communicate with those people to tell them they really shouldn’t be doing that in dangerous waters.”
The people in the canoe were able to get out of the river safely, but Mechalko said “disaster tourism” can be an issue during floods, including on the recently redone boardwalk behind the fire station.
“We’ve started to attract a lot of people who want to come and look at the flooding, and people were right on the edge of the armour stone, which is quite concerning to us. Even though it might not look like the water is going that fast, the dangers involved are there.”
He added the force of water is extremely dangerous and people weren’t standing far enough away from the Nith.
“We put up a bunch of caution tape to keep them further away in the parking lot area instead of the armour stone which is inches away from the floodwater. That was another role the fire department had.”
In another surprising incident of poor judgment, Mechalko said two people were spotted fishing on the edge of the river.
“They went under our caution tape on the edge of the armour stone. Some people just don’t respect the power of the water.”
He added other township staff spring into action when these types of emergencies occur.
“Whenever the water goes over any of our roadways, the road department will close them. When it starts to affect any parking lots or parks, our parks department will put up barricades and close the parks.”
A communications protocol exists when a flood hits the town, something Nicole Schnurr, the fire department’s public education officer, is in charge of implementing.
“I am the person the GRCA (Grand River Conservation Authority) contacts to give updates on what’s going on. I receive emails from them that I fan out to township staff,” said Schnurr.
There are different zones in the township, and the flooding reached Zone 1 on Saturday and Zone 2 on Sunday morning.
“I activated Alert Waterloo to notify residents of the situation,” Schnurr said.
Alert Waterloo Region is the regional emergency notification system used across the region, including in Wilmot Township. It sends warnings to residents when there is a serious local emergency such as flooding, severe weather, chemical spills, or major power outages.
Schnurr also works closely with Wilmot’s communication staff, who alert residents through social media and news releases to area journalists.
Once the water level returns to normal, two other departments jump into action to deal with the mess left behind.
“Crews have been removing trees and debris from streets using a backhoe and road sweepers. Holland Mills Road (just outside of New Hamburg) will remain closed until the road base is repaired, as heavy water flow washed away part of one lane,” said public works manager David Kleine.
“An excavator will be used to clean up and backfill road base materials in the washed-away section. New asphalt will be placed on that section of the road in the spring,” he added.
Even though local parks technically do not open until May 1, cleanup is already underway in high-traffic areas like the Nith River Promenade and the Kirkpatrick Park parking lot.
Cleanup efforts in other parks and trails will take place when weather conditions are optimal, and grounds can be entered safely or without risk of damage,” said Cody Eby, manager of parks and facilities for Wilmot.
Heavy rainfall was expected on Wednesday afternoon for the Gazette’s readership area and the threat of higher water levels may return.
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