Watershed Conditions Statement - Water Safety - March 8

Message sent on the basis of information received from: 

• Kawartha Conservation monitoring network 
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry - Surface Water Monitoring Centre 
• Environment and Climate Change Canada 
• Ontario Waterways - Trent Severn Waterway 

The first wave of warm weather is arriving in southern Ontario, including the Kawartha Conservation watershed, later this week. We can expect air temperatures to climb as high as 12C° on Wednesday and Thursday. Precipitation, up to 15 mm of rain, is also predicted.  

The local watercourses are currently flowing at low levels. Up to 40 cm of snow was measured around the watershed on March 1^st. As per our observation, the snowpack has degraded over the last week under the abundant sunshine that we experienced. Snow has become icy and granular. Ground surface conditions remained frozen during the snow survey conducted on March 1^st.  

The mild weather in the next few days will cause the existing snowpack to start melting, producing a moderate runoff. The rain, predicted for Wednesday and Thursday, will add to the runoff. As a result, the local watercourses will start rising. The ice cover, where it exists, will become highly unstable and will break up and may start moving. A piling of ice and ice jamming might be possible.  

No wide-spread flooding problems within the Kawartha Conservation watershed jurisdiction are anticipated at this time. However, the water levels in local watercourses will increase. Water accumulation can be expected in low-lying areas, road ditches, and areas with poor drainage. Rivers and streams may reach or overflow their banks in some locations. Smaller steams will react quickly, but larger watercourses will take longer to respond.  

Under these conditions, all local rivers, streams, ditches, and lakes should be considered extremely dangerous. Riverbanks are slippery, unsafe and could be undercut. Stream currents are strong, and temperatures dangerously cold.  Ice cover, where it exists, is extremely hazardous.  

The air temperature is expected to return to below freezing marks by the weekend. That will slow down runoff generated by snowmelt and rain.  

Kawartha Conservation is closely monitoring the development of this weather situation and assessing the flood hazard. We are in regular communication with the partner agencies, such as the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. We will continue advising the watershed residents, local municipalities, and partner agencies about the situation using the Kawartha Conservation website, media outlets, and social media. You can subscribe to receive the Kawartha Conservation flood messages.   

For information about flooding outside of the Kawartha Conservation watershed jurisdiction, such as the Burnt and Gull rivers, please refer to the MNRF Ontario-Floods webpage. 

Kawartha Conservation is warning all residents to stay away from water bodies, as well as water structures such as bridges, culverts, and dams. Children should be warned of dangerous conditions and caregivers should maintain a close watch on children who are outside.  

This Watershed Conditions Statement-Water Safety will be in effect or updated before Friday March 12th, 2021. 

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

Iryna Shulyarenko                                                                       Emma Collyer                                           

Hydrologist                                                                                   Director,  Integrated Watershed Management  

Watershed Conditions Statement – Water Safety is a general notice that existing or potential conditions pose a risk to personal safety.  Watershed Conditions Statements - Water Safety may be issued when streams are flowing at or near bankfull levels, when ice conditions are unsafe, or when stream banks are icy, soft and/or slippery.