The abundant snowfall that Quebec has experienced so far is a bad omen for the spring flood in the Saint-Maurice River basin, in Mauricie, and Hydro-Québec is preparing for it.
From its measuring instruments scattered throughout the Mauricie region, Hydro-Québec observes a slightly higher than normal snow cover.
However, according to the state-owned company, there is no cause for alarm. It seems to him to be a little early to make reliable predictions. One thing is certain, the milder weather of the last few days has been a favorable factor for the floods.
“The good news is that both for southern Quebec and for the Mauricie, the current days are mild, even perhaps at times slightly above 0 C. That means there is a melt calm that settles. So there is a part of this snow cover that will go away quietly,” explained Francis Labbé, a spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.
Throughout the week, the Crown corporation is holding online public information sessions to discuss its management of the future flood for the Mauricie region as well as for Centre-du-Québec, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and the ‘Outaouais.
The impact of the thaw is still far from being felt in northern Mauricie.
“I’m in town right now and when I went down the day before yesterday, it was -25 C. So it hasn’t started to melt yet,” said Jean Bordeleau, who left the Gouin reservoir at the head of the Saint- Mauritius, where he operates an outfitter.
At the information sessions, Hydro-Québec has invited climate change specialists for several regions. Moreover, Hydro is preparing to make a significant gesture on the Saint-Maurice River to deal with climate change.
Thus, the capacity of the spillways at La Trenche generating station, 45 kilometers north of La Tuque, will be increased when refurbishing the facility in the coming years, in order to be able to let flow more water if there are exceptional rains.