Flood Details - 1983-04-17 - 1983-04-22

Saint John River Basin: At Fort Kent, Maine, river levels increased some six feet [1.8 m], reaching flood stage on April 17. Parts of the town not protected by dykes were inundated. Nashwaak River Basin: The Nashwaak River had risen over a metre on April 17 and resulted in flooding in the vicinity of Nashwaak Bridge. On the 18th, a portion of Route 8 was inundated, but the floodwaters did not reach sufficient levels to force its closure. Fredericton Area: Highway #105 near Keswick Flats, was closed on April 19 as several feet of water covered the road along a quarter mile section. This section of highway was reopened on the morning of the 20th. In Fredericton, high water forced the closure of Union Street underpass, and water was lapping the pavement along the Lincoln Road in the vicinity of Wilsey Road. All low-lying areas near the river experienced minor damage such as flooded basements and eroded driveways. Several parking lots in the City were inundated, such as: the Legion lot on Queen Street, The Lord Beaverbrook lot and the Municipal lot on York Street. Sandbagging crews were busy building dykes behind the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel, and Avis Rent-A-Car staff scrambled to remove cars from the hotel's parking lot. By 8:00 a.m. on April 19, vehicles were reported to be sitting in more than 18 inches [0.45 m] of water. At Maugerville, water was said to be about five inches [0.13 m] from the pavement on the Trans Canada Highway near the Dutch Drive-In on the morning of April 19. By the 20th, a few inches of water was over the Trans Canada Highway, but it remained passable. Restigouche River Basin: At Matapedia, the rain-swelled and ice-jammed river flooded a portion of the Village, temporarily tying up traffic and inundating several businesses. In Flatlands, about 18 inches [0.45 m] of water was reported to cover a 100 foot [30 m] section of Highway #134. Some flooding was also reported at Mann's Mountain. At Dawsonville, the floodwaters were reported to have caused the collapse of two basement walls supporting St. Paul's Anglican Church.

A water level of about 20 feet [6 m] was reported at Fredericton on the morning of the April 18. The maximum instantaneous water level of the Saint John River at Fredericton during 1983 was 7.333 m at 15:14 hrs on April 19. The last major flooding in the area occurred in 1979 when the Saint John River peaked at 26.4 ft [8 m] in Fredericton and 21.2 feet [6.5 m] at Maugerville. The following table shows the average daily water levels in meters for April 19-22.

Restigouche River Basin: At Matapedia, many stores reported water damage. Estimates of this damage were in the order of $300 000. At Dawsonville, a temporary foundation had been erected under the church until a new foundation is built. No damage was reported to the church itself.