A morning flash flood in Rockwood has forced some residents out of their homes. It happened just after 9:00 am on Harris Street, when a water storage pond let go.
At least four homes were flooded, leaving residents with a muddy mess.
“Our basement is filled with mud, our garage is filled with mud as well, and our driveway is pretty eroded,” local resident Barry Peters told CTV News.
The fire department says recent heavy rainfall, combined with melting snow, caused the walls of the pond to let go. In addition, since the pond sits at the top of a hill, it released a fast flowing flood.
Michael Frechette, who lives in the area, described the scene as “a big massive waterfall just shooting down like Niagara Falls.”
Frechette says the water ruined his hardwood floors, furnace, and basement.
“It’s our first home, and I put a lot of time and money in this house to fix it because it’s an old home,” said Frechette. “It actually broke my heart.”
Guelph Eramosa Fire Department Chief John Osborne says the wall of water was roughly two feet tall and thirty feet wide.
The source of the flood water is located on construction grounds owned by Charleston Homes. Andrew Mulder, who works with the company, said the site is very steep, with the highest point to the lowest point being about 30 metres.
Residents say this is not the first time the street has been flooded. There was a similar situation six years ago.
Clean-up efforts have begun to clear up the road of debris, and repairs are expected later.
