Safe Road Access

The goal of the Mississippi Lakes Association is to see safe road access for all residents, emergency services and the public around our Lake. The MLA has been working with the MVCA to better define which private road sections could pose a restriction for safe vehicle access and impact building decisions.

Detailed maps are now available on the MVCA website that provide helpful information about sections of private roads that would be overtopped by more than 30 cm (12”) of water in the event of a 1 in 100 year flood.

The Mississippi Lake Overview map along with 16 area maps can be found via this link:

https://mvc.on.ca/development-permits/safe-road-access

Road sections in solid red are the sections that should be increased in elevation to create safe access. Correcting these solid red sections would create safe access to all connected roads highlighted with ‘red dashes’.

To assist in understanding how elevation relates to the risk of unsafe passage for roads around Mississippi Lake, the MLA has prepared a diagram showing three example road elevations. In this diagram, Road A is considered safe at all times under the current floodplain definition, Road B meets the minimum safe elevation, and Road C is at all times unsafe.

Taking corrective action

Road Associations that would like to proceed with corrective actions will need MVCA permission and a development permit including verification that the owner(s) of the road are in agreement and authorize the proposed work. MVCA will provide a preliminary review of any proposed work as part of a pre-consultation process. Any proposed work and fill can not result in loss of flood capacity and conveyance and not create a ‘dam’ restricting the ability of flood waters to enter existing overflow areas.

MVCA Pre-Consultation Guidelines can be found via this link:

https://mvc.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Pre-Consultation-Guidelines.pdf

For those who have already completed road improvements, with or without permits, it is important to get these road measurements updated in MVCA’s maps to have the best public road information in case of floods. Proper surveys are relatively inexpensive using GPS equipment. MLA has an arrangement with a survey company who will do this work at a discount for MLA members. Please contact MLA Chris Winter (roads@mlakes.org) for details.