Quispamsis Prepares For Spring Freshet

Officials in Quispamsis say they are prepared for any flooding caused by this year’s spring freshet.

The town is one of many communities which have dealt with historic flooding the past two years.

Aaron Kennedy, the spokesperson for the town, said preparations are a year-long endeavour and they are not taken lightly.

“Certainly the word we’re hearing out of Fredericton is quite positive that it doesn’t look like we’re gonna be anywhere near the last couple of years,” said Kennedy, “but like the old saying goes, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

Kennedy said the ongoing pandemic has impacted their planning, particularly when it comes to their sandbag station.

Last year, they moved the volunteer operation from the Quispamsis Memorial Arena to the qplex to be closer to the affected homeowners.

“We will have sandbags available at the qplex again this year, but the difference will be primarily is that the bags will be pre-filled because of those physical distancing requirements that need to be met,” said Kennedy.

Last week, town council voted to spend up to $45,000 to buy 12,000 pre-filled sandbags for residents.

Town staff have been reaching out to affected homes along the Kennebecasis River to see how many sandbags they may need, said Kennedy.

“Something we’ve noticed is that our residents have also taken remediation efforts. They’ve realized in 2018, with the record flooding, that they needed to take some action as well to help protect their property, so that’s made things a little bit easier for the town,” he said.

Kennedy notes the town will only provide sandbags to residents in an emergency flood situation — when the five-day River Watch forecast calls for water levels to reach 4.7 metres and continue rising.