With double-digit daytime temperatures forecast for the first week of spring, Otonabee Conservation has issued a flood watch for the Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough County and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
The flood watch applies to the municipalities of Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, Asphodel-Norwood, Otonabee-South Monaghan, Cavan Monaghan, City of Kawartha Lakes, City of Peterborough, and Trent Hills.
Otonabee Conservation is advising residents of these areas to prepare for possible flooding and stay clear of anywhere that water can be seen to be accumulating and ponding. Residents should also keep away from all waterbodies, watercourses, and water control or conveyance structures such as dams, culverts, and bridges.
Seven to 10 days of higher than seasonal temperatures will result in several days of 24-hour continuous snowmelt. There is also rain in the forecast during this period, although the expected amounts are minimal.
The forecasted warmer air temperatures are expected to release a significant portion of the snowpack’s water content, which is currently an average of 100 millimetres, causing rising water levels and flows in the lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, and wetlands of the Haliburton Lakes/Reservoir Lakes region, which is hydrologically connected to the Kawartha Lakes, Otonabee River, Rice Lake, and the Trent River.
The forecasted warm air temperatures and snowmelt in the Haliburton Lakes/Reservoir Lakes region will cause water levels on the Kawartha Lakes to increase, possibly rapidly. Increasing water levels on the Kawartha Lakes will, in turn, increase the water level and flow on the Otonabee River, which will then raise water levels on Rice Lake, and beyond.
Rising water levels are often the impetus for the break-up of ice cover, leading to ice damage along shorelines and the loosening of shoreline debris. Ice and debris can accumulate around water control and water conveyance structures, possibly causing localized flooding behind the ice/debris jam.
The flood watch will remain in effect until Thursday, April 1st. For more information, visit otonabeeconservation.com/flood-watch-march-19-2021/.
