Homeowners are racing to push back the rising Severn River, as flooding concerns rise.
Water levels have gone up steadily this week and there is no sign it will recede. Boat houses are partially submerged and waterfront properties are surrounded.
"As long as it doesn't get in the garage it won't get in the basement,” one resident told CTV News. “If it gets in the basement we're in trouble."
Even though people here brace for spring floods every year, they weren't expecting this.
"That heavy dump in April was a lot of heavy, wet snow with a lot of rain. With lakes still frozen, there's no place for the water to go," says Mark Hatch, Severn Township’s deputy fire chief.
On the Gravenhurst side, East Severn River Road is washed out. Some cottage owners are now trying to pump the water off their property.
The towns are providing sandbags and Parks Canada is reducing flows from Lake Simcoe. There may be some relief in the days ahead.
"We’re getting close to our peak. It will stabilize probably tonight. It will cool down. It hasn't climbed as much as it has been," Hatch says.
But water levels are still expected to increase. With more rain in the forecast this weekend, homeowners are on edge.
