Water Response Team removes Low Water Advisory

An image with text saying Low Water Advisory lifted.

Water Response Team removes Level 1 Low Water Advisory for ABCA watershed area 

Streamflows have rebounded following a very wet July            

The Water Response Team (WRT) has removed the Level 1 Low Water Advisory for the entire Ausable Bayfield watershed. Watershed conditions have responded well to frequent and often heavy July rains, according to Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA).  Importantly, one of the key indicators in recovering conditions is the return of baseflows to local watercourses.             

Davin Heinbuck is ABCA Water Resources Coordinator. He said that one of the main indicators of watershed conditions is the seasonal availability of baseflow. “After nearly two months without appreciable baseflows, we have now seen a recovery in these flows across the watershed,” he said.

The Chair of the Water Response Team, Marissa Vaughan, thanked both industries and individuals who voluntarily reduced their water usage in response to the recent Low Water Advisory. “During dry periods, conservation of water is an important measure to prevent further declines in water supplies and actions taken earlier this summer will have helped to prevent any further Low Water Advisories,” Vaughan said. 

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 and Forestry; Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; and Environment, Conservation and Parks). 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 Province of Ontario Surface Water Monitoring 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.