Low Water Advisory Upgraded to Level 2

DATE OF ISSUE: October 3, 2025

Water Response Team upgrades to Level 2 Low Water Advisory for entire Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority watershed

            The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Water Response Team (WRT) has declared a Level 2 Low Water Advisory for the entire ABCA watershed area. Summer rainfall totals have been well below normal, resulting in very dry conditions and extremely low flows. These conditions have prompted the WRT to increase the level of the Low Water status across the entire ABCA watershed.

September stream flows for indicator stations at Springbank, Exeter and Varna, range from 5 to 10 per cent of normal and have yet to show any signs of recovery. With very localized exceptions, there has not been measurable runoff since June and baseflows, where present, are close to, or at, record lows.  Many of the smaller watercourses have been reduced to standing water or have dried up completely.

In addition to low streamflow, the WRT also relies on the three-month precipitation indicator for low water advisories. Most of the watershed has fallen below the low-water threshold of 80 per cent of the normal three-month precipitation, and in some cases has approached 50 per cent of the normal three-month precipitation. 

The decision to move into a Level 2 considers the immediate impacts of a limited surface water supply, and the potential for long-term supply issues. Autumn is an important time for recharge into the groundwater system, which provides critical baseflows to streams and rivers throughout the year, according to ABCA. 

Extended dry conditions into autumn and winter can have a significant impact on aquatic life in local watercourses and nearby Lake Huron. “Flows are essential for the life cycles of fish movement both upstream and downstream,” said Christie Brown, ABCA Water Resources Technologist. “Low flow conditions are a barrier to fish migration and reproductive success, which has direct impacts on the population of fish and other aquatic organisms that support the fishery.”

Water Response Team Chair Ray Chartrand said streamflow is extremely low. There is a seasonal decline in water use but water conservation is still needed. “We are asking watershed residents and water users to conserve water by voluntarily reducing the amount of water they use by at least 20 per cent,” he said.

For ways you can reduce water use, please visit the water quantity and water conservation page at abca.ca at this link: https://www.abca.ca/conservationstrategy/water/quantity/

The Water Response Team relies on both precipitation and streamflow indicators to support any decision to move into a Low Water Advisory. Indicators include one-month streamflow and one-month or three-month precipitation. A Level 2 Low Water Advisory calls for an additional 10 per cent (total of 20 per cent) voluntary reduction in water use. A Level 3 Low Water Advisory may involve mandatory water use restrictions.

The Water Response Team was formed in 2001 in response to the low water and drought conditions that year and the team has been active ever since. The WRT includes representatives of major water users (such as aggregate industries; agriculture and vegetable growers; and golf and recreation) and includes local municipal representatives and staff of provincial ministries (such as Natural Resources; Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness; and Environment, Conservation and Parks). ABCA staff will continue to monitor rainfall and streamflow data and keep the public informed of any changes in watershed conditions.

Visit www.ontario.ca/lowwater for further resources on the Ontario Low Water Response program or the website at abca.ca for the dynamic low-water advisory tool (https://www.abca.ca/news/lowwater/) which alerts people to low-water advisories in effect in the watershed.