Submitted photo from the 2014 ice removal.
An annual sign of spring can also present some danger to a popular snowmobile trail.
Ice removal off Parks Creek near the Nipissing Plaza is set to begin early next week and the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority is urging the public and snowmobilers to stay off the creek and away from the mouth of the creek on Lake Nipissing.
“There is a lot of snow and ice on the creek this year and we need to create some storage space for runoff when the melt eventually starts,” explains Troy Storms, Field Operations Supervisor, NBMCA. “The ice removal will also continue a short ways into Lake Nipissing, and upstream beyond Lakeshore Drive,” he added.
NBMCA manages the flood control structure on the creek at Eva Wardlaw Conservation Area to ensure that people and property along the creek are safe from the risks associated with significant floods. The flood control structure prevents high water levels from Lake Nipissing from flowing inland up Parks Creek and flooding.
“Removal of ice between the flood control structure and Lake Nipissing will help minimize the risk of any property flooding or ice damage to the control structure,” added Storms.
Lakeshore Drive residents in the area should experience minimal disruption from the ice removal project. The NBMCA is not anticipating any disturbance to the creek bed and the ice will be piled on the banks of Parks Creek to slowly melt. The public is urged to stay away from the ice piles while they melt.
You can contact the NBMCA at (705) 474-5420 for further information.
Mandated by the Province of Ontario to proactively and reactively respond to floodplain issues, the NBMCA constructed a backflood control structure on Parks Creek in 1995 to prevent high water from Lake Nipissing flooding properties within the Parks Creek floodplain.
As part of the maintenance plan for the backflood control structure, the conditions at Parks Creek are assessed each spring and autumn for the creek’s capacity to accommodate the season’s increased water flows.
