Upper Valley communities take hit as region faces worst flood in recent memory

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Rising waters throughout the Upper St. John River basin have closed highways, flooded homes and kept emergency measures on the move this week. Heavy rains, melting snow and fast-flowing currents are creating havoc in numerous communities.

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PHOTO BY JANET CALDWELL

A home at the bottom of Allison Road in Florenceville was surrounded by the rising waters of the St. John River on Thursday.

PHOTO BY JEFFREY BENTO-CARRIER

The pillars of Hartland's historic covered bridge were hit by flood waters on Thursday, coming within two metres of the bottom of the span. The Saint John River rose more than a foot May 1 because of the impact of heavy rains earlier in the week and the on-going spring run-off.

PHOTO BY JIM DUMVILLE

Glen 'Oil Can' Mills stands along the shore of the St. John River in Grafton Wednesday afternoon as his lighthouse flows downstream. The yellow top of the structure passes close to shore, while the main portion of the building can be seen in the background. Mills built the structure in the summer of 2005 on the island near Hartland, which he owns. Mills followed the lighthouse downstream from Hartland to Woodstock. He hopes to salvage it and its contents. He said he last saw it near the Grafton Bridge.

In a phone interview late Thursday morning, Andy Morton said the heavy rains and melting snow combined to create the flood conditions.

"The areas that got the most rainfall are in northwestern New Brunswick and northwestern Maine, they also have the most amount of snow left," he said.

Morton added nothing can be done to influence the amount of water flowing into the system.

"Basically all we can do is try and keep the water levels steady to avoid peaks in the valley areas," he said. "And people can watch the levels of water around their property and take steps to protect that property."

Morton said many St. John River Valley communities are experiencing the worst floods in recent memory. He said the flood levels in Woodstock haven't been this high since 1994. He listed the water levels, which are measured in metres above sea level, for several communities.

"The water levels in Woodstock are 41.51 (flood stage 41.4). The water levels in Hartland are 47.66 (46.9). The water levels in Perth-Andover are 78.09 (77.2). And the water levels in Simonds are 49.46 (48.5)," explained Morton.

He added N.B. officials are staying in contact with Maine officials, who are keeping a close eye on the Mill Pond Dam, just outside of Caribou, where there are fears the structure could collapse under the weight of rising waters.

Heather-Anne MacLean, corporate communications, media relations manager at NB Power, said there should be no such worry about dams along the Upper St. John River.

"There will be no damage to the Beechwood Dam," she noted. "We are not operating the dam because the water flow is coming too quickly, but the dam is fully staffed right now and having the gates open is part of our normal operations."

Rivers bursting their banks closed down numerous highways across the region. Tracey Burkhardt, communication director at the Department of Transportation, cited a long list of roads closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

"Route 105 Hartland closed near the town limits. Route 105 Bristol closed for three kilometres. Route 105 Florenceville closed just below the town limits.

"Route 103 Simonds closed for one kilometre. Both sides of the Saint John River in Perth-Andover are closed. The Saint Leonard Bridge and the Brooks Bridge are both closed."

"West River Road is closed at Rapides de Femme. Route 105 Salmon River is closed. Between Route 105 Tobique First Nations and Route 109 is closed."

"And Route 105 South of Perth is closed."

According to DoT public alerts there is a detour set in place for Florenceville. The detour is to take either Waugh Road or Hunter Road.

The water in Bristol has rose over the road in two places. With the highway at Riverbank under three feet of water, people are travelling on the nearby snowmobile trail.

In a media release Thursday afternoon, NB Power noted it disconnected 390 customers power due to flooding, 90 per cent of those customers are in the Fredericton and Maugerville areas.

NB Power had 24 crews at work on Thursday and their contact centre was fully staffed and ready to handle customers concerns.

The release noted some people who were not in immediate danger of being flooded out may have lost power because they were on the same line as someone who has already been flooded. NB Power stressed public and employee safety is its priority.

As the flood waters rose, so did the concern of residents in several communities. On Thursday, rumours began circulating about the pending evacuation of Bristol. That proved untrue.

An RCMP spokesperson said the occupants of two houses in the Northern Carleton left their homes voluntarily. As of Thursday afternoon, noted the spokesperson, the RCMP had not received any phone calls for assistance.

However, residents of several communities report properties being submerged in water in the Florenceville and Bristol area.

As of Thursday afternoon in Woodstock, chief administration officer (CAO) Ken Harding said rising waters had started to close streets and cover low-lying parking lots. He explained the NBCC Woodstock back parking lots were closed because of flood waters. Rising waters also closed Water Street which runs along the north side of the Meduxnekeag River.

In an interview Thursday morning, Harding said NB Power officials told him, "the water levels are supposed to increase by one foot today."

At press time, Harding said no other areas in Woodstock were in immediate danger of flooding.