Town of Sackville engineer Dwayne Acton says staff are monitoring rainfall, with 50-75mm predicted to fall by Tuesday morning, according to Environment Canada. Acton says with high tide slated for 2:27am Tuesday morning, that means the tide will be coming in through the heaviest of the expected rain. Acton says the combined rainfall and high tide is “very concerning for us and we will continue to monitor this throughout the night.”
Acton recommends residents “monitor their properties and ensure that culverts, drains and ditches remain free of leaves and debris where possible.” He also recommends people limit their travel where possible and watch out for flooding and water over roads. He asks anyone who observes any emergency issues, such as a washout or water over roads, to alert town staff by calling the after hours line (506-364-4960).
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Moncton and southeast New Brunswick continuing until Tuesday. The agency says rain will briefly change over to snow overnight in some regions before clearing on Tuesday. The agency warns, “heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Watch for possible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.”
The forecast calls for 20-30mm of rain today, 30-40mm overnight, with a low of plus 2 overnight. Then on Tuesday, rain mixed with snow changing to a few flurries near noon.
In the town’s last severe rainstorm on September 2, Sackville saw isolated flooding and a full retention pond, after 81.6mm of rain fell in a single day. But the timing of the tides during that storm was more favourable than it appears for the current rainfall.
One of the spots that flooded in September was the 106 to Dorchester, just past route 935, the Wood Point Road. A relatively new aboiteaux on route 935 at Carter’s Brook helped ease the flooding at the time, but Acton expressed concern that the CN tracks were blocking water and causing flooding. In late October, CN replaced the crossing at Wood Point Road, but it’s not clear if the work they did included flood mitigation elements.
Wood Point residents often express concern over the silt levels at the Route 935 aboiteaux. Every day, the tides bring more and more silt in, which falls near the gates that block the incoming tidewater. That silt appears to block the gates which are designed to open from the other side and let fresh water from Carters Brook flow out. After the September 2 rainstorm, the Department of Infrastructure inspected the aboiteaux at Wood Point Road and “found it was operating correctly,” according to spokesperson Jennifer Boudreaux. “An inspection typically includes a site visit to review silt levels, the gates, and the structure in general,” wrote Boudreaux.
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