Crops destroyed after Holland Marsh farmland flooded again
By: Sahar Fatima Toronto Star Jun 17 2013
Farmers in the Holland Marsh area have started cleaning up after their fields were submerged for the second time when a dike broke and flooded the area Sunday morning.
The cost of the crops lost when valuable farmland in Bradford West Gwillimbury was flooded is estimated to be about $1 million, the town’s deputy mayor Rob Keffer said.
“It could be two percent of the total land area that the Holland Marsh is, but it’s still devastating to the farmers that are affected,” Keffer said. He said about 180 acres of land was underwater.
The breach in the dike occurred about 20 metres down from the first break, which happened on May 25.
“They feel like they’ve turned the corner and there’s optimism that they’ve put it behind them and then it happens again,” Mayor Doug White said.
Keffer said the water in Lake Simcoe and the Holland River has been higher than usual.
Lake Simcoe is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway and its water level is regulated by Parks Canada.
“We don’t want to point fingers or lay blame, but we’ve had an awful lot of rain in the month of June,” Keffer said. “There are a number of factors and we don’t know the real reason why the dike broke.”
Dennis Harrison lost about 100 acres of his corn crops and about $40,000 in production costs near the Holland Marsh area. He blamed pour regulation of water levels.
“If we’re pumping all that water into a water shed that cannot handle it then we’re not doing ourselves any justice,” he said.
He said, “If the water levels had receded . . . we’d be able to replant,” but he’s not sure if replanting now will be worth it.
“It’s very risky to know if the crop will mature by fall,” he said. “You’re gambling another time.”
The town declared a state of emergency after the first breach so that it would be eligible for disaster relief assistance from the province.
Mayor White said the town has also appealed to the province to allow it to start improving the drainage system right away rather than going through a formal process under the Drainage Act that requires several engineering reports, appeals and public consultations.
“We don’t have time for that,” he said. “We have to get this fixed and we have to get it fixed fast.”
He said fixing the damage will take about four months.
White said the province has been receptive to the town’s need so far and Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is also the minister of agriculture, is aware of the situation.
The land affected by the flood produces enough onions and carrots to supply tens of thousands of homes with a 50-pound bag, White said.
“These folks have been farming this land for over three decades,” he said. “Our community is pretty tight and we’re going to rally to help these folks.”
Farms devastated by flooding in Ontario’s Holland Marsh area
CTV Toronto June 17, 2013
Farmers in one of the most fertile tracks of land in Ontario say the flood damage caused after two dykes ruptured south of Barrie will cost about $1 million.
Valuable farmland in the Holland Marsh area near the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury continues to be inundated with water from Lake Simcoe and the Holland River after a dyke broke last month.
Three farms were flooded and more than 190 acres of onion and carrot crops were ruined.
Photos
Heavy flooding in the Holland Marsh
A farm is surrounded by flood waters in Holland Marsh in Bradford, Ont. on Monday, June 17, 2013.
Farmer Randy Riffert inspected his field from a motorboat, peering at his crop through three metres of water.
“I never thought about driving a boat out here,” he said Monday.
Riffert steered his boat towards part of the dyke that burst over the weekend, destroying more than 200 acres of farmland.
“It’s just devastating. I’m at a loss for words,” he said.
Jamie Reaume, the executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, said the area hasn’t seen such damage since 1954, when Hurricane Hazel swept through southern Ontario.
Reaume said famers estimate the damage to be around $1 million and it’s too late in the season to recover lost crops.
Earlier this month, Bradford’s town council asked the province’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for assistance under the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP).
Holland Marsh Farmland under Water, Town Declares State of Emergency
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The weather system that moved in over Father’s Day weekend hit Ontario’s vegetable growing region, flooding 190 acres of farmland in the Holland Marsh, in Bradford, Ontario north of Toronto.
The flooding occurred after a dyke in the area broke for the second time in two-weeks. Water levels are about 5 to 10 feet deep, leaving the once pristine farmers’ fields looking more like lakes. The newly planted crops, onions and carrots are now unsalvageable. Farmers in the area are calling it an indescribable loss.
While the bulk of the flooding surrounds just three farms, damages are estimated to be over $1-million. The town of Gwillimbury has declared a state of emergency and appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food for help.
The Holland Marsh comprises of 8,500 hectares of farmland and is ideal for growing vegetable crops such as onions, greens, celery and carrots.
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