Water Response Team lifts Low Water Advisory

A photo of low water in the Bayfield River earlier in 2024.

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

December streamflows respond to heavy snow, snowmelt and rain

The Water Response Team (WRT) has removed the Level 1 Low Water Advisory for the entire Ausable Bayfield watershed area. Following an extended period of dry weather, watershed conditions are responding favourably to the significant snow, recent melts, and the addition of rainfall.

A snowmelt and runoff event in mid-December 2024 has provided a significant input into stream flows and, through the winter, with normal conditions, the WRT is optimistic that watershed conditions will remain near seasonal.

The Chair of the Water Response Team, Marissa Vaughan, thanked both industries and individuals who voluntarily reduced their water usage in response to the dry weather observed through the summer and autumn. “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; 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 Ontario Surface Water Monitoring Centre 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.