Upper Thames River watershed in Low Water Situation (media release, July 18, 2022)
The Upper Thames River watershed is experiencing Level 1 Low Water conditions, according to the local Low Water Response Team. The Level 1 advisory is part of a three-tiered system used in Ontario to inform the public of local low water conditions.
“We evaluate low water conditions by looking at several indicators, including precipitation and stream flows,” said Mark Helsten, Senior Water Resources Engineer with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA).
The watershed received an average of 17 mm of rain between June 15 and July 15, which is only about 22% of normal. Precipitation over the last three months (April 15-July15) was approximately 58% of normal. Stream flows across the watershed are also below normal for this time of year, and are expected to drop further due to the ongoing lack of significant rainfall.
The UTRCA maintains three large reservoirs and several smaller ones across the watershed. The large reservoirs at Pittock (Woodstock) and Wildwood (St. Marys) Conservation Areas provide flow augmentation in the summer, by storing spring runoff and then slowly releasing the water back into the river system in the dry summer months.
This spring, the two reservoirs both reached their target summer elevations. Now the stored water is gradually being released to augment downstream flows in the North and South Thames Rivers.
The Low Water Response Team encourages people, businesses, and industries that rely on local surface water or groundwater to conserve water. Many watershed municipalities have water conservation programs in place.
The City of London and some other communities take water from Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Reducing water use in these communities will not improve flows in the Thames River or its tributaries.
For more information:
Contact: Eleanor Heagy, Communications Specialist