The hot, dry summer continues to take its toll on the Grand River watershed, with water levels continuing to drop in rivers and streams.
Sporadic rainfall from storms in the last week has not had an appreciable impact on flows. The conditions being experienced now haven’t been seen since the late 1990s.
As a result, a call has gone out for additional water conservation measures in Guelph, parts of Wellington County, Halton Region, the City of Hamilton and additional parts of the County of Brant.
Four rivers and streams in the municipalities have been added to the list of areas where a Level 2 condition has been declared under the Ontario Low Water Response Program. The declaration was made by the Grand River Watershed Low Water Response Team recently.
The alert means water users are being asked to voluntarily reduce consumption by 20 per cent. In addition, two other watercourses remain under Level 2 conditions that were declared earlier this summer: Whitemans Creek and the Nith River.
However, flows are continuing to deteriorate in Whitemans Creek to the point where consideration is being given to declaring a Level 3 situation, which would result in mandatory water restrictions enforced by the provincial government. The remainder of the Grand River watershed is still in a Level 1 condition, which means water users are asked to voluntarily reduce consumption by 10 per cent.
The restrictions apply primarily to holders of provincial permits to take water which are required for anyone taking more than 50,000 litres of water from a watercourse, well or pond in one day. Permit holders in areas where Level 2 conditions are in place will receive letters requesting a cut in consumption.
Municipalities have permits for their municipal water systems so calls for water conservation also apply to their customers. Permits are also held by farmers for irrigation, aggregate operations, golf courses, water bottlers, fish farms and other commercial and industrial operations with their own water supplies.
Given the extremely dry conditions, even those who fall below the threshold for a permit are being asked to reduce their consumption to ensure that the water is shared fairly by all takers. Those with private wells or stream pumps should put a priority on water use for household purposes and livestock watering and other economic needs, and curtail use for other activities such as lawn watering. More information on current conditions and the Low Water Response Program is available on the GRCA website at www.grandriver.ca
Reservoir conditions
The GRCA operates seven reservoirs which capture water during the spring melt. The water is then released gradually through the spring and fall to maintain minimum flows in the Conestogo, Grand and Speed rivers as well as several creeks.
This water is critical to the safe operation of municipal drinking water and sewage treatment plants. Because of the persistent dry weather, reservoir levels are below normal for this time of year. The GRCA is releasing only as much water as needed to meet flow targets at Grand Valley, Kitchener, Guelph and Brantford.
Information on reservoir levels is available in the River Data section of the GRCA website.
