Low Water Advisory for Ausable R., Parkhill Creek
Water Response Team removes Low Water Advisory for Bayfield River, keeps Level 1 advisory for the Ausable River and Parkhill Creek watersheds
The Ausable Bayfield Water Response Team (WRT) has removed the Level 2 Low Water Advisory for the Bayfield River watershed due to recurring rain events that produced nearly twice the October normal, with 180 millimetres (mm) of rain. As a result, ground conditions and baseflows there have returned to seasonal normals. The conditions in the Ausable River and Parkhill Creek, however, tell a different story, where conditions remain quite dry, and streamflows are well below seasonal. A Level 1 advisory is still in place for the Ausable River and Parkhill Creek watersheds.
The Chair of the Water Response Team, Ray Chartrand, thanked both industries and individuals who voluntarily reduced their water usage in response to the very dry weather observed through the summer and autumn.
“Actions taken earlier this summer will have helped to prevent any further Low Water Advisories,” he said. While water demand goes down in autumn, it is important to consider water availability to the natural systems as we move into the winter, and any reduction of water usage is helpful to ensure watershed conditions are as healthy as possible next spring.
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). Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) staff will continue to monitor precipitation and streamflow data and keep the public informed of any changes in watershed conditions through the winter months.
Visit the provincial web page for further resources on the Ontario low water response program or the website at abca.ca for the dynamic low-water advisory tool which alerts people to low-water advisories in effect in the watershed.