Downtown Chatham bridge to close again overnight to remove flood debris
The Fifth Street Bridge in downtown Chatham will be closed overnight for a second time this week as municipal crews remove flood debris from the Thames River.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent said Monday that it will be closing the Fifth Street Bridge at King Street starting at 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.
A crane was brought in Sunday night to assist in removing large trees and root balls that accumulated under the bridge due to the high water levels.
“Never underestimate a river. There’s a lot of power in the water,” says Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) chief administrative officer Mark Peacock.
A sea-doo, a boat with a barbecue, and a dock are among the debris lodged in place.
“It is something we may have to become more familiar with as climate change affects the way our watershed drains it’s water.” says Peacock.
The LTCVA says this type of event doesn’t typically happen at this time of year, saying it’s normally reserved for the end of winter or beginning of spring.
Fifth Street Bridge will be closed overnight as municipal crews remove flood debris from the Thames River in Chatham, Ont. on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021. (Chris Campbell/CTV Windsor)
Peacock says the high water levels are the result of five plus inches of rain that fell in the London region last week. He notes it typically takes three-five days for that water to travel downstream to Chatham.
“This river starts in places like St. Mary’s and Stratford and Woodstock. All that water is coming down, and then it comes to the forks of the Thames in London and then has to come all that distance,” Peacock says.
He says planning for rare events like this is now necessary.
“As we work on our strategy around flooding on the Thames River we have to take more and more into consideration as climate change changes the fundamentals of our understanding,” Peacock says.
There’s concern more debris could collect at the Third Street Bridge in Chatham, which is currently being replaced and out of commission.
Peacock tells CTV News that water levels peaked in Chatham Monday morning and that basement flooding wasn’t expected along King Street or further downstream.
He says water levels on the Thames River are expected to remain high for the next few days,
“We think we’ve got through the worst of it and we think we’re going to get through it well.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
'Do I ghost her again?': Quebec minister's office ignores questions on housing as a human right
The office of Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau prefers to openly ignore journalists' requests.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.