The Black River Green Lake Cottagers’ Association wants answers

The Black River Green Lake Cottagers’ Association wants answers

Springtime is usually seen as the season of floods. But for the past several years, residents of Green Lake and the road bordering the Black River in Waltham have seen access to their properties become difficult because of winter inundations. On Friday last week, the Ministry of Transport closed the bridge on the river to traffic due to the high water.

The Green Lake Black River Cottagers’ Association has been seeking answers from authorities. The association’s President Davin Dossett spoke with CHIP 101.9 about the issue, and said it’s a public safety issue for year-round residents of the area.

Dossett said that after speaking with long-time residents of the area, they suspect the flooding is being caused by poor management of water levels by Evolugen (formerly known as Brookfield), the company that operates several dams along the length of the river. However, Dossett said that he’s brought the concerns to Evolugen, who told him that they were fulfilling their responsibilities by reporting the water levels to the government.

Eldon Denault, a long-time resident who owns river-front property in the area, was also of the opinion that the flooding was being caused by poor river management. He said that he’s monitored the river levels and taken pictures over the past 14 years, and blamed this year’s floods, which have invaded his basement, on the levels being too low.

Dossett said that they had the support of the municipality, and had also taken their concerns to the MRC.

The full interview with Dossett is available here.