The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury is looking for help from the province.

The request comes after a dyke broke in the Holland Marsh two weeks ago, flooding three farms.

On Monday, Bradford West Gwillimbury declared the three farms a disaster area under a state of emergency.

Peter Marques grows carrots and onions in the marsh near Bradford, on some of the most productive land in the province. His fields were planted in early May and his carrots were coming up fine, until the dyke ruptured, flooding his field.

On June 12, 2013, he told CTV Barrie the flood was unexpected, but farmers knew the water behind the dykes was unusually high for this time of year.

“It was quick and unexpected, and no signs of any leaks or thawing, but we knew the water was high,” Marques says.

The flood destroyed more than 190 acres of onions and carrots.

The dyke itself has been patched and pumps are running constantly to drain the land, but the soil is too saturated to plant again this year.

Bradford Deputy Mayor Rob Keffer says there isn’t a dollar amount for the damages, but the process of applying to the province for funds has started.

While most of the water has already been pumped off the flooded fields, there are still concerns that the entire marsh could flood because water levels in Lake Simcoe and the Holland River are even higher now than when the dyke first let go.

The dyke has been in place since the 1950s and it has never failed like this before. Jamie Reaume is the executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association.

He says the unusually high water levels are making it hard to know what will happen. He believes levels on Lake Simcoe need to be lowered.

“The levels need to come down,” Reaume says, calling for “an acknowledgement from the federal side of this equation that we do have high escalated water levels in this part of the watershed and it needs to come down immediately.”

Water levels on Lake Simcoe are controlled by the Trent Severn Waterway. Nobody there was available to comment on the situation today.

Farmers are now keeping a close eye on the dykes around the clock. What they don’t want to see is any more rain that will aggravate the situation.