Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board

The Planning Board was established to ensure integrated management of the principal reservoirs of the Ottawa River basin:

to reduce flood and drought impacts along the Ottawa River and its tributaries, all the way down to the Montreal Region

while maintaining beneficial water uses in the basin.

Current Conditions Summary

Water levels in metres:

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River Conditions Forecast

Last Update: 2026-05-03 1:59 PM

Next Update: 2026-05-04 4:15 PM

Spring runoff remains very high in the northern part of the basin due to recent rain and melting snow. Water levels and flows are stabilizing from Mattawa to Pembroke and have reached a plateau downstream, from Lac Coulonge down to the Montreal Region. Water levels and flows are expected to remain stable over the next few days and to slowly start declining later next week. Because a large volume of water is still expected to come from the northern part of the basin, water levels are expected to remain generally high along the main stem of the river over the next two weeks. The risk of further increases in levels over the coming weeks due to high spring runoff from the northern portion of the basin remains higher from Mattawa to Lake Coulonge.

Increasing Flood Risk along the Ottawa River

See the “River Conditions Forecasts” message for the latest update on river conditions and details as to what locations may experience flooding over the next few days.

In River Conditions Forecast messages:

The minor flood level is defined as the level at which parts of some streets, lawns and parks are beginning to flood, with no or few houses/buildings being affected.

The major flood level is defined as the level at which one or several streets are beginning to flood, with several houses/buildings or neighbourhoods being affected.

NOTE: Actual impacts on the ground can vary from one sector to another.

**** Technical note: Due to higher‑than‑normal traffic on the website—especially during the spring flood period—you may experience slower performance or see water levels and flows that are not up to date. If this happens, try clearing your browser cache, refreshing the page, or switching to the French version of the page. ***

Snow Conditions in the Ottawa River Basin – Map now available

Our website provides a map that will help you keep track of the snow cover in the watershed. The map of the snow water equivalent is available on the Current Conditions webpage (click on the “Snow Map” button at the top of the interactive map).

Snow measurements are done on a regular basis at over one hundred (100) sites across the basin. The snow map provides an overview of conditions at the time of the most recent snow measurements. It shows the amount of water held in the snow cover compared to the amount of water it normally holds at this same time of year. This amount of water is called ‘snow water equivalent’. The map covers the entire Ottawa River watershed. At a glance, it is possible to see if there was more or less snow than usual at a given time of the year.

Understanding snow water equivalent is important as it is one of the factors that contribute to shaping the magnitude and duration of a spring freshet. For more information on factors that influence a spring freshet, please see FAQ 1: FAQs – Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board

This map will be updated in early March, and every two weeks thereafter.

Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board

Current Conditions Summary

River Conditions Forecast

Special Feature

Increasing Flood Risk along the Ottawa River

Snow Conditions in the Ottawa River Basin – Map now available

Latest News

Rising Water Levels at Lake Timiskaming

2026: INCREASING FLOOD RISKS ALONG THE OTTAWA RIVER

Beginning of Hydrologic Forecast for Freshet 2026