Over a century old ice blasting tradition beginning on Rideau River

The City of Ottawa’s Roads and Parking Services Team are working with the Rideau River Valley Conservation Authority, to begin blasting operations Saturday to help mitigate flooding in the surrounding communities as a spring thaw approaches.

The process has been in place since the late 1890s, putting the team on the ice to clear the snow, cut the ice and finally blast.

“Although it still looks like winter out there, spring is on the horizon and operations are officially underway,” Quentin Levesque, Director of Roads and Parking Services at the city, said in a statement.

The Rideau River Flood Control team was mobilized on Feb. 10 to begin preparing equipment and drilling test holes at several locations. The team then begins clearing snow and cutting keys in the forebay.

As the process is underway, the city and conservation authority are reminding people that there is no safe time to be on the Rideau River.

“It is imperative that everyone stays off the ice and away from our workspace,” Levesque said. “The frozen river is a very dangerous place, and at no time should anyone be using it for any type of winter activity.”

While surfaces may appear to be frozen, the ice is unstable due to blasting preparations.

Signage has been placed in the area to remind people to stay off the ice and warn of the dangers of venturing on the river.

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