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HomeNewsFlood watch issued for local, low lying areas

Flood watch issued for local, low lying areas

Kawartha Conservation says all local watercourses and waterbodies should be considered extremely dangerous and officials are warning all residents to stay away from all 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.

The authority has issued a Flood Watch for it’s watershed jurisdiction, including the shoreline areas of Balsam, Cameron, Sturgeon, and Pigeon Lakes. There is potential for minor flooding to occur in areas adjacent to the watercourses, low-lying areas and along shorelines of the Kawartha Lakes within next 24-48 hours.

A second large system is forecast to impact southern Ontario this week. Rain is expected to start Thursday night and continue until Saturday as the system moves slowly, bringing 50 to 70mm of rain over the next three days. Environment Canada has issued a Rainfall Warning for the region, including the Kawartha Conservation watershed.

Ground conditions are currently saturated and do not have capacity to absorb additional rainfall as the next system moves in.

Water levels in large Kawartha Lakes are still high as northern tributaries, including the Burnt and Gull rivers, are bringing in high volumes of water. Trent Severn Waterway officials indicate that the upstream reservoir lakes are currently full and do not have any capacity to accommodate additional runoff.

While no major flooding is anticipated within the Kawartha Conservation watershed at this time, water accumulation will occur in low-lying areas, road ditches, and areas with poor drainage. Rivers and streams may exceed their banks in some locations and spill onto the floodplains. Water levels in lakes will continue to be elevated, potentially impacting the stability of shoreline infrastructure. River banks and lakes shorelines are saturated, and may be unstable and undercut.

Shoreline residents are advised to take precautions to protect themselves and their property, to monitor water levels closely, and contact their local municipality should any threat of flooding develop.

Trent-Severn Waterway officials are reassessing the situation on an ongoing basis and are adjusting flows through water control structures accordingly. All major dams on Kawartha Lakes are being further adjusted to accommodate increased flows of the Burnt River and other northern tributaries.

Burnt and Gull River levels 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 office at 705-286-5207 or 705-457-6434 (cell), or refer to the City of Kawartha Lakes website below for additional information:   www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/flood-information .

For assistance in the event of a flood, and to obtain sandbags, please call your municipal emergency contact (see http://kawarthaconservation.com/watershed/flood-forecasting).

This Flood Watch will be in effect until Monday, May 8th 2017.  Kawartha Conservation will continue monitoring water levels and watershed conditions and notify the public and municipalities within its watershed jurisdiction of any changes. If you are aware of or have concerns about flooding, please contact Kawartha Conservation at 705.328.2271 or 705.344.0155 after hours.

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Pamela Vanmeer
Pamela Vanmeerhttps://www.kawartha411.ca/
Pamela VanMeer is a two time winner of the prestigious Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Award. Her investigative reports on abuse in Long Term Care Homes garnered international attention for the issue and won the Ron Laidlaw Award. She is a former reporter and anchor at CHEX News, now Global Peterborough and helped launch the New CHEX Daily, a daily half hour talk show. While at CHCH News in Hamilton she covered some of the biggest news stories of the day.

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