Level 1 Low Water Advisory for entire ABCA area
Date of advisory: August 13, 2025
Water Response Team issues Level 1 Low Water Advisory for entire Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority watershed
The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) Water Response Team (WRT) has declared a Level 1 Low Water Advisory for the entire ABCA watershed area. The WRT based its decision on a dry weather pattern in July, where the watershed received only about half of the normal monthly rainfall. As a result, streamflows have declined sharply in the past several weeks, with some larger creeks currently observing no flow.
Recent rains in parts of the watershed have provided some much-needed relief to ground conditions but, without above-normal rainfall totals for the month of August, streamflows are likely to continue to remain low, and possibly decline further through the summer, according to Christie Brown, ABCA Water Resources Technologist.
“As we move towards the middle of August, many areas of the watershed have yet to receive measurable runoff in well over a month,” she said. “With warm temperatures and ground cover typical of summer, the risk of prolonged dry conditions exists because the potential of precipitation being available to support streamflows is lower.”
Water Response Team Chair Ray Chartrand said everyone has a role to play in water conservation. He encourages all water users to look for ways they can conserve water and prevent further reduction in water levels and availability through this summer.
“During a Level 1 Low Water Advisory condition, we encourage water users to proactively conserve water by voluntarily reducing their water use by 10 per cent,” he said. For ways you can reduce water use, please visit the water quantity and water conservation web page at abca.ca.
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 1 Low Water Advisory includes a request for a 10 per cent voluntary reduction in water use. 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 the Ontario Low Water Program 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.