The worst flood in hundred years
Most towns around Lake Muskoka were hit extremely hard by this year’s flood which reached the peak by the weekend, although water levels remain high. Many roads, particularly in Bracebridge were under water and impassable. There was extensive damage to the roads and many properties around Lake Muskoka and Muskoka river.
View from Kelvin Grove Park towards the Hydro Falls in Bracebridge, Ontario
The photo above and all other pictures that follow were taken in Muskoka on April 28, 2013, the day after the Muskoka river has crested.
Muskoka River spilling over the pedestrian walkway at the Hydro Station
The catwalk on the top of the Hydro Falls dam was overflowing and closed to the traffic.
Maintenance worker at the bottom of the Hydro Falls
Wharf Road on the west side of the Muskoka River at the Bracebridge Bay Park
Accumulated driftwood shows the extent of the flood
There was a lot of great looking driftwood and construction lumber including pieces of wooden docks alongside the river. The boards shown above were left on the grassy banks of Muskoka River about one meter higher and ten meters from the Sunday’s river edge.
Chairs in the lake
This group of chairs was situated on low-lying bank on eastern side of Lake Muskoka (that is, low-lying ground before the flood), and being in calm water and weighed down, it didn’t float away.
All kinds of items got away and are enroute to Georgian Bay
The water levels on Muskoka River rose higher than on the surrounding lakes, and proportionally there was more damage along the river. Many boathouses filled with water, hydro lines got short-circuited, boats came out of their slings or were pushed against the ceilings, shelves and furniture sank, and some canoes stored outside floated away.
Lakeside cafe half-submerged in the historic Duke’s building in Port Carling
This waterfront cafe is located in the historic Duke’s building at the top end of Indian River in Port Carling, just a few steps from the highway 118 and the lock to Lake Joseph. Not a good way to start the season.
Submerged town dock on Severn River
The landscape was significantly altered (for the period of flooding time). Many fixed large dock structures on the rivers and lakes were completely submerged, some of them almost a half-meter deep and several meters away from the water’s edge.
Three teenagers on a dock
I wouldn’t attempt it myself, but these three kids were pretty good at balancing precariously at the edge of the submerged dock. To their right, the water was only a few inches deep, to their left, 6-8 feet deep. In both directions, the water temperature was just a few degrees over the freezing point.
Top portion of High Falls in the northern part of Bracebridge – Muskoka River spilling over the access road to the falls and bridge
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