With sun shining, floodwaters begin to recede west of Montreal

The floodwaters that forced hundreds from their homes in southwestern Quebec have begun to recede.

Heavy rain earlier this week caused the Ottawa Riverto overflow, leading to severe flooding in parts ofRigaud, Que., west of Montreal.

Water levels in that area have stabilized and are now slowly dropping, Hydro Mto, a non-governmental monitoring agency, said in a bulletin issued Sunday morning.

Floodwaters in Gatineau and Laval are also gradually receding.

• Gatineau opens roads, closes shelter for displaced residents as water levels recede

The sunny skies forecast over the next week, starting with a high of 17 expected Sunday,is expected to help matters.

Rigaud declared a state of emergency on Thursday and ordered more than 400 families to leave their homes.

Officials also ordered residents in the flood zones not to drink their well water asseptic tanks are likely contaminating the supply.

• Floodvictims ordered not to drink well water

The provincial government has promised toprovide compensation to the municipalities affected by the flooding.