With spring right around the corner many people living in flood zones are keeping an eye on water levels and the weather forecast.
So is Hydro Quebec.
Last year more than five thousand cubic meters of water each second passed through the Carillion dam in Saint-Andre-D'Argenteuil on the Ottawa River. Most of that water ended up flooding many homes in Rigaud.
"If we decide to close the gates after one hour, the water is going to rise too rapidly, and we need to reopen the gates," Hydro-Quebec engineer Pierre-Marc Rondeau explained to CTV Montreal. "It's not built to keep water from getting to Montreal."
The good news this year is that the dam might not have to.
Based on the amount of snow that fell and the amount that remains on the ground, Hydro-Quebec expects this year to be smoother than last.
"When heavy rain is falling down like last year, at a moment when snow was still on the ground. All that water went in the rivers at the same time. We cannot do miracles, unfortunately," Rondeau said.
Miracles no, but some Hydro dams did help the cause as Rondeau explained that dams with reservoirs helped keep water levels lower downstream. Without them the water level in Montreal would be at least one meter higher.