Watershed Conditions Statement - Water Safety - December 29, 2022

A Provincial Watershed Conditions Statement has been issued for Southern and Northeastern Ontario by the Surface Water Monitoring Centre of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Kawartha Conservation Watershed

DATE: Thursday December 29, 2022

TIME: 11:00 am

Message sent based on information received from:

• Kawartha Conservation Flood Forecasting Network
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry - Surface Water Monitoring Centre
• Environment Canada
• Trent-Seven Waterway

WATERSHED CONDITIONS STATEMENT – in effect from December 29^th to January 1st. Currently watershed conditions are normal for the Kawartha Conservation watershed.

A Provincial Watershed Conditions Statement has been issued for Southern and Northeastern Ontario by the Surface Water Monitoring Centre of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Daytime high temperatures over much of southern Ontario on Thursday December 29 to Sunday January 1st are expected to be +5 deg C or higher, with overnight temperatures remaining above freezing. This warm air mass will bring drizzle, showers, and periods of rain to southern Ontario, with accumulated precipitation amounts from 10 to 20 mm over southern Ontario.

Widespread flooding is not anticipated, however water levels and flows in watercourses across the Kawartha Conservation watershed jurisdiction are expected to rise and flows to increase rapidly during and after the rainfall period.

All watercourses have the potential to be dangerous at this time of year and Kawartha Conservation is warning all residents to stay a safe distance from all streams and rivers, as well as water structures such as bridges, culverts, and dams, and that lake ice conditions are unsafe in many areas. Riverbanks can be slippery during rain events, especially with snow and ice already on the ground, children should be warned of the dangerous conditions, and supervised while outside.

Northern tributaries, such as the Burnt and Gull River are monitored by staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). Residents along these two rivers are requested to direct any questions concerning water levels to the MNRF Minden Area office at 705-286-5207 or refer to the messages issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) at https://www.ontario.ca/law-and-safety/flood-forecasting-and-warning-program .

Additional information from the TSW is available at the Water Management InfoNet web page https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/info/infonet.

This Watershed Condition Statement – Water Safety will be in effect through Sunday January 1^st, 2023.

Kawartha Conservation will continue monitoring local watercourses and notify the public and municipalities within its watershed jurisdiction of any changes. We are in close communication with partner agencies such as the Trent Severn Waterway, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and neighbouring Conservation Authorities during all flood situations.

If you are aware of or have concerns about flooding, please contact Kawartha Conservation at 705.328.2271 or 705.344.0155 after hours.

Rob Stavinga                                                                              Nancy Aspden

Watershed Resources Technician                                              Acting Manager
                                                                                                    Integrated Watershed Management