River rises in Ottawa after downpours; floodgate to close at 34 feet

Monitoring the levy and the Main Street bridge along the Marais des Cygnes River is something city crews don’t take lightly.

Especially during the rainy season. The river rose quickly through Tuesday night into Wednesday, cresting just under 34 feet at noon Wednesday.

Michael Haeffle, city of Ottawa public works director, said the city has an emergency action plan it uses as a guide when the river is rising.

“We are actively monitoring everything with the river,” Haeffle said. “The plan calls for us to close it at 33 feet. We try to pay attention to the river and where it is going to crest at and whether we actually need to close the flood gate. The plan is a guide and not set in stone. We’ve decided if we hit 34 feet, we will close it.”