Municipal Affairs and Environment issued a flood warning for the community of Mud Lake Saturday evening. The warning came after an earlier flood warning was issued only for Mud Lake Road.
The department said anyone situated near the Lower Churchill River should take appropriate measures to avoid flood damage, and asked Mud Lake residents to take precautionary measures in the event of increased water levels. The department recommended people visit getprepared.ca for information on emergency readiness.
Earlier story:
Local residents of Mud Lake and Happy Valley-Goose Bay are being advised that government has issued a flood warning for the Mud Lake Road area of the Lower Churchill River.
A news release issued Saturday states there is currently no impact on road infrastructure but crews are on site and are ready to implement temporary safety measures as necessary.
The public is asked to take safety precautions in the area.
An ice jam advisory is also in effect for the Lower Churchill River region.
“Officials are closely monitoring both water levels and ice conditions on the Lower Churchill River and are in regular contact with the Local River Watch Committee as the spring melt season progresses. In addition, the department continues to update emergency management partners to ensure a coordinated approach to supporting residents,” reads the release from Municipal Affairs and Environment and Transportation and Works.
Meanwhile, Muskrat Falls stakeholders received a spring thaw update on Friday that said the water flow rate is “approaching a rate that would only be expected once every 20 years.”
On Friday, the flow rate at Muskrat Falls was over 4,000 cubic metres per second and the update at that time said it’s forecasted to increase to about 5,000 cubic metres per second over the next couple of days.
As the melt continues, it is forecasted that flow increases to over 5,500 cubic metres per second “are likely early next week,” reads the update.
The public can view the water levels at the end of Mud Lake Road at: www.mae.gov.nl.ca/wrmd/ADRS/v6/Template_Station.asp?station=03OE018.
This story has been updated with the latest information provided to The Telegram on Saturday afternoon.
