DUNROBIN – If your property is along Harwood Creek, the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) has some new information for you.

The MVCA will be hosting a public open house on Wednesday, March 20 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Dunrobin Community Centre (1151 Thomas Dolan Parkway), to share the results of their draft flood hazard mapping.

The MVCA recently completed the flood plain mapping for Harwood Creek which runs through West Carleton roughly from Marchvale Road near March Road to Constance Lake Road near Dunrobin Road.

The mapping identifies flood prone areas for a 1:100-year flood event.

“This is new information,” MVCA Water Resources Engineering Director John Price told West Carleton Online. “Some (nearby) landowners do have to be concerned. We’re looking at any new developments or additions.”

Price says while the MVCA does have some flood mapping done for some of its areas that dates back to the 1980s, this is the first time it has been done for Harwood Creek.

Price says Harwood Creek has never experienced 100-year flood levels, but residents should be aware of flooding at their property. The maps indicate no homes should be in danger if the creek reaches the 100-year flood level but “it does define the houses themselves won’t be flooded, but there may be access issues for residents.”

Mapping experts look at the “flows and flood plains” while creating the map. He says Harwood Creek is fed by a number of factors including nearby agricultural lands but “the whole watershed provides flow to the creek.”

The maps clearly define the limit of a potential 100-year flood as well as a buffer zone the MVCA uses to keep an eye on what’s going on at the creek.

“People who want to do work in the buffer zone may need a specific permit,” he said. “So, we know what’s going on in the area.”

Price says the open house will be an opportunity for residents who live near Harwood Creek to have “one-on-one conversations” with the MVCA and the staff who worked on the mapping.

“There’s no formal presentation,” Price said. “But what we do have is the maps. We can talk about how we do the calculations.”

If you would like to see the maps, or get more information on the meeting, click here.