The torrents of water that flooded Huntsville and Bracebridge are now flowing through Lake Muskoka and down the Moon River to Georgian Bay.
Muskoka Lakes declared a state of emergency over the weekend as water levels rise and the property damage mounts.
Drew Cowern is with the Moon River Property Owner Association and says he isn’t leaving just yet. “We will stay on site until we can’t hold the water back anymore. If it goes higher than two or three feet, we will be losing our brand new cottage.”
Property owners say floods like this should be preventable and the mayor agrees.
Muskoka Lakes Mayor Phil Harding wants the province to overhaul the water management plan for the region.
“We have asked the province to have a very long hard look at our entire watershed. It’s 200 kilometres long. There are 41 control structures on the watershed.”
John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, says the ministry has taken action to mitigate flooding and ‘will continue to do what we can to assist.’
While water management is debated, property owners are starting to tally up the damage.
“If you look at the millions and millions of dollars that happened in 2013, this is worse,” Cowern says.
It’s still unclear how high water levels will rise on Lake Muskoka and the Moon River, and there is growing concern about more rain in the forecast.
