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The flood waters of the Saint John River raced towards the Bay of Fundy on Saturday, easing conditions in the upper reaches of the river valley but causing new headaches in southern New Brunswick.

Emergency officials monitoring the spring flood said the water is moving at such a rapid pace and in such volume it has temporarily obliterated one of New Brunswick's most popular tourist sites – the Reversing Falls at Saint John.

The natural phenomenon is caused by the massive rise and fall of the Bay of Fundy tides, but there is so much water coming out of the Saint John, there now is no reversal in the flow.

Andy Morton of the Emergency Measures Organization said the tides – among the highest in the world – are a major factor in flooding on the Saint John River.

“The tide is so high, it acts as a dam preventing the river water from getting out,” he said.

“It's only at the point where the river water is higher than the high tide that you don't see the falls reverse. The impact is one of the factors taken into consideration when we do our flood modelling.”

Dry, sunny weather forecast to last the entire weekend is contributing to the slowdown in the flood, Mr. Morton said.

The drop in water levels was remarkable in Fredericton, where the flood fell below eight metres.

The sound of pumps filled the air as water was emptied from basements and clean-up crews began removing debris from streets and buildings.

The Saint John River flood seemed more of a nuisance than a threat, even in the Saint John area where water levels were rising.

“It's certainly an inconvenience, but everyone is taking it in stride,” said Don Bishop of Darlings Island, near Saint John.

The one road leading to Darlings Island is completely submerged and residents like Bishop are relying on boats provided by emergency officials to get them back and forth to the mainland.

“It's no problem,” Mr. Bishop said. “I just returned from grocery shopping and enjoyed the boat ride. Emergency co-ordinators are very well organized this time.”

Details of federal and provincial disaster aid will be revealed in Fredericton on Sunday.

Some residents are worried there may be strings attached.

“There wasn't much help last time,” said Sheffield resident David O'Brien, referring to major flooding in 2005.

Mr. O'Brien said high deductibles could make the compensation useless to many people in the flood plain who cannot get insurance coverage for flood damage to their homes.

Following the 2005 flood, the deductibles were set at $5,000 for residential claims and $10,000 for commercial claims.

“When a disaster happens somewhere else in the world, our governments are quick to write out cheques,” said Mr. O'Brien.

“But for us to get a few cents, we have to jump through all kinds of hoops.”

About 700 people have left their homes, and emergency officials repeated Saturday it may be several days before they can return to their properties.

More people are expected to leave their homes as the flood moves downstream towards Saint John.

Meanwhile, several communities in the Saint John River Valley have been placed under boil water advisories.

People living in towns in northeastern New Brunswick, including St. Leonard and Baker Brook, have been told to boil their water because of possible contamination from the flood.

Dr. Eilish Cleary, deputy chief medical officer, said there is sewage in the flood waters, agricultural chemicals and gasoline and oil.

She said people should keep clear of the swollen river.

“It's beautiful to look at, but it is potentially very dangerous,” she said.

“It's very cold, it's moving rapidly and there is debris in it, much of it submerged. So it is important to treat it with respect.”

Emergency officials also said flooding near the Trans-Canada Highway at Jemseg is driving moose onto the road, and people are urged to drive carefully.

About 120 dairy cows and heifers had to be rescued from a flooded farm in Maugerville in a military operation that lasted into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Military personnel from nearby Canadian Forces Base Gagetown used a floating bridge designed for vehicles to transport the cows to dry ground on the other side of the river.

Lt. Robert Fleet said the soldiers involved in the operation were pleased to help out people in the community.

“It was an eye opener,” he said.

“A lot of our training is based around Afghanistan scenarios. This gave the troops an opportunity to perform some domestic operations. They wanted to help people in the Fredericton area.”

Many of the cows were in desperate need of milking, and were reluctant to board the makeshift barge.

They were taken to a farm in Sussex where they will be cared for until the flooding is over.