St. John River ice jams remain stable as water continues to drop
People living in flood-prone areas in and around Perth-Andover are cautiously breathing a sigh of relief as the St. John River continues its spring freshet.
To date, ice conditions have been steady and stable. The region remains in the “Orange – Flood Watch” phase, but residents are being cautioned to remain vigilant.
In a recent Village of Southern Victoria Spring River Watch EMO Update, the municipality said the “good news continues.”
“Water levels have continued to drop overnight (March 24) and today (March 25). The water level now is at 248.1 feet. We are 6 feet below our high water mark this spring, and we are now in our normal water level range,” the update notes.
Dan Dionne is the municipality’s chief administrative officer. He credits the good fortune to a slow melt and no significant influx of water that would push the jam downstream.
“The hope is that the two-kilometre ice jam continues to decay in place,” said Dionne.
He added that the threat of ice and water from the Tinker and Grand Falls dams is still a concern for the community.
“Hopefully, it will hold steady for a while,” said Southern Victoria CAO Dan Dionne. “The longer a jam stays in place, the more it rots and wears away the ice. That’s what we want.”
Mother Nature continues to help. The Environment Canada forecast for Perth-Andover in the coming days says the region will see mild, above-zero temperatures throughout the day and below-freezing temperatures at night.
Dionne is cautiously optimistic but says the community can’t relax just yet.
“Even though the water levels have dropped, we still have to be mindful,” he said.
