Kawartha Conservation declares Level 1 Low Water Condition

Kawartha Conservation has declared a Level 1 Low Water Condition throughout the watershed.

Precipitation observed within the Kawartha Conservation watershed over the period of April through June has been persistently below the long-term average values. With very hot and dry weather forecast, there is no relief to the low water conditions expected during the next two weeks.     

As part of the declaration of a Level 1 Low Water Condition all water users are asked to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 10 percent. This includes local municipalities, aggregate operations, golf courses, irrigation operations, and private users. Kawartha Conservation also urges residents who draw their water from private wells to be wary of their water use and well conditions.

Water is a precious resource. Continued wise use of water is encouraged now and always.

Residents can help conserve water by following these water conservation tips:

• Use rain barrels to capture rain for watering lawns and gardens when possible
• Water gardens in early morning or later in the evening
• Let your lawn go brown (dormant) – it will come back when conditions improve
• Adhere to municipal watering restrictions that may apply
• Do not wash your cars or driveways.

Currently, the local watercourses are flowing within the streamflow thresholds as per the Ontario Low Water Response program. However, under the current weather conditions the flow may be expected to deteriorate rapidly.

The Kawartha Conservation Low Water Response program is a part of the Ontario Low Water Response Program that was developed to ensure the Province was prepared for low water conditions. The response plan is to help coordinate and support local response in the event of a drought. There are three levels of Low Water Conditions with Level 1 being the least severe and Level 3 being the most severe.

Kawartha Conservation will continue to monitor conditions and report new information as it becomes available. To learn more about Ontario’s Low Water Response program visit the Low Water and Drought section of our website at www.KawarthaConservation.com.