After a dry spring, the rains have returned in June – in buckets.
It’s been wet enough, in fact, that a Low Water Conditions declaration issued a few weeks ago has been removed.
The decision was made by the Grand River Low Water Response Team following a recent conference call.
On June 3, the team declared the entire Grand River watershed in a Level One condition. Major water users were asked to voluntarily reduce consumption by 10 per cent. The request went to holders of Permits to Take Water. There are about 750 permits in the watershed issued to those taking more than 50,000 litres of water a day from a river, stream or well. The permit holders include municipalities, aggregate operations, golf course, water bottlers and farms for irrigation.
However, June has been marked by exceptionally wet weather.
By June 15, most of the watershed had received a month’s or more worth of rain.
For example, the GRCA’s Cambridge office recorded 113 mm of rain compared to the 78 mm that falls in an average month.
Rivers and streams are running high and the ground is saturated. Water levels at the GRCA’s large reservoirs (Belwood Lake, Conestogo Lake and Guelph Lake) are now near the top end of the normal operating range for this time of year.
With more rain in the forecast, flows are expected to remain above average for the next few weeks.
However, even though the Level One declaration has been lifted, most municipalities have outdoor water use bylaws that remain in effect throughout the summer months.
More information on the Low Water Response Program is available on the GRCA website at www.grandriver.ca.
