Conservation Authority Reminder: Stay Away from Watercourses (media release, February 22, 2022)

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) reminds the public to exercise extreme caution and stay away from all water bodies during the current spring melt. Any ice cover is weakened and unstable, and flood control reservoirs are especially hazardous due to fluctuating water levels. Smaller rural watercourses may have been drifted in by snow, which can hide potentially hazardous conditions. Banks adjacent to rivers and creeks are very slippery and, when combined with cold, fast-moving water, pose a serious hazard. Parents are reminded to keep children and pets away from all watercourses and off of frozen water bodies.

Today’s forecast calls for 10-25 mm of rain across the UTRCA watershed, along with warmer temperatures. The snow pack is not able to absorb more water, which means that any rain will likely run off into local streams and rivers, and there will be some additional melting. A return to sub-zero temperatures later this evening will slow the runoff process.

If the higher rainfall forecasts materialize, the UTRCA expects watershed streams and rivers to rise to levels similar to last week, and to stay elevated for the rest of the week. The Conservation Authority does not expect serious flooding.

The UTRCA’s flood control reservoirs at Fanshawe, Wildwood, and Pittock Conservation Areas are at seasonal levels plus will be operated to reduce any downstream flooding.

Contact: Eleanor Heagy, Communications Specialist

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