The Region of Waterloo is asking anyone with photos and recollections of the 1974 flood that deluged Galt to share them on social media.
May 17, 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic flood that led to a provincial inquiry into better ways to manage the flood threat along the Grand River.
As the City of Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo celebrates their 50th anniversaries this year, both are marking the occasion with a series of social media posts looking back at local history.
Yesterday, the region posted a video and photo gallery on Twitter, asking people to share their memories in the comments.
On the 40th anniversary of the flood, the Grand River Conservation Authority wrote about the flood in Grand Actions.
“Friday, May 17 was a sunny day in CambridgeGalt,” Judge W. W. Leach wrote in his report on the flood. “It was deceiving. The citizens did not realize the approaching catastrophe. They did not visualize the flood that was descending upon them from the north.”
When the rain came, there was little that could be done because the GRCA’s reservoirs were already full. By 7 p.m. on May 17, the Grand was rushing through downtown Galt at a rate of 1,490 cubic metres per second (m3/s), nearly 100 times the normal summer flow. Dikes gave way in Bridgeport and Brantford.
For a time, the Brantford water treatment plant was knocked out of commission, creating a state of emergency. Floodwaters also engulfed parts of Paris, Caledonia, Cayuga and Dunnville. In Galt the river flowed above the bridges and through historic downtown streets. Warnings were issued, but didn’t get through to everyone affected.
The GRCA created a film about the flood called One Day in May and has a Flickr gallery showing historical flood photos from across the watershed.
