News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The River Watch Program for the 2023 freshet season ended today after more than seven weeks in operation.

Water levels in all areas along the Saint John River basin continue to decrease and return to normal levels.

“Over the last several weeks, many staff members of provincial departments and municipal authorities worked in close collaboration to ensure residents would get all the necessary information to keep themselves and their properties safe,” said Public Safety Minister Kris Austin. “We want to thank all our partners for their excellent work.”

The River Watch program began on March 14 and provided information on the status of rivers and the potential for ice jams and other flood issues throughout the ice-out and spring freshet season.

The impact of the 2023 spring freshet started to be felt in the northwestern region by April 14 when Saint-Hilaire was expected to reach flood stage. But it is in the lower Saint John River basin where the impact was more severe. From April 19 to April 30, the river reached flood stage in Fredericton, Gagetown, Jemseg and Maugerville. In other southern communities such as Grand Lake, Sheffield-Lakeville Corner, Oak Point, Hampton, and Quispamsis-Saint John, water levels rose without reaching flood stage.

During that period, a limited number of inhabited dwellings in flood-prone areas experienced minor flooding. The Canadian Red Cross provided assistance to 22 people from five households in Lincoln, Maugerville, Fredericton and Waasis. The impact upon road infrastructure was limited, with Highway 105 in Maugerville and Route 690 affected along with other flood-prone areas around the province.

The River Watch program is a joint effort involving the Department of Environment and Local Government, NB Power and the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization of the Department of Justice and Public Safety. Other partners include Environment and Climate Change Canada, watershed groups, and federal, provincial and state agencies involved in monitoring and forecasting the water flows in the province’s rivers and streams.

“The team of the Hydrology Centre at the Department of Environment and Local Government worked diligently with key partners in carrying out flood forecasting nearly every day since March 14,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Gary Crossman. “Thanks to this very valuable information, residents have been able to plan accordingly for any necessary actions had they been impacted by flooding.”

Over the past weeks, the River Watch team issued public alerts, conducted several interviews with provincial news media and kept people informed through Facebook and Twitter.

“The River Watch program is an important component of the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization,” said organization director Kyle Leavitt. “It reflects our mandate to ensure a proper co-ordination of all available resources to assist New Brunswickers in times of crisis.”