Maine ice jams catch attention of New Brunswick river watchers

Some residents along the Saint John River are spending the weekend keeping an eye on ice jams in Maine that could cause problems in New Brunswick.

On Saturday morning, there were two jams reported in northern Maine. One at Riviere VerteMorell, just above Aroostook and one between Hartland and Woodstock.

• River Watch 2015

Government of New Brunswick spokesman Paul Bradley said in an email to CBC News that some ice jams were holding back a bit of water, but no serious issues reported at Riviere Verte Morell.

Bradley said the jam between Hartland and Woodstock has resulted in some water over Route 105 just below Hartland town limits, but nothing out of the ordinary for that stretch of road in the spring.

According to Bradley, river flows and levels are expected to rise throughout the basin and some ice movement is expected on the Saint John River and other river systems on Saturday.

He cautions a change in weather conditions could lead to localized flooding in areas where drainage systems are blocked by ice and snow.