Conservation authority officials in Chatham-Kent are urging local residents to steer clear of local waterways for the time being.
In a release Thursday morning, the Manager of Watershed and Information Services with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) Jason Wintermute said the ice on the Thames River should no longer be considered safe, adding that people should also take extra caution to avoid ditches and streams because of a dangerous combination of slippery banks, broken or unstable ice, and fast moving cold water.
The warmer, wet weather has also prompted a flood watch as the ice that had formed on the water melts and water levels rise.
Wintermute noted that the weather radar suggests that the bulk of the rain has moved past our region, but "given that this winter storm event is not even over yet, it is still too early to know how high flows may get on the Thames River" -- especially in the low lying areas next to the river from Delaware down to Chatham.
The report from the LTVCA said water levels on the Thames River around Dutton have already risen around 2 metres and ice is coming free from the banks there.
In Chatham-Kent, the water level was up about 1 metre in Thamesville Thursday morning and around 20 centimetres in Chatham. Water levels on the McGregor Creek have also gone up enough to prompt officials to operate the diversion channel.
Wintermute noted that if the ice begins to break up, they will need to watch the river closely for possible ice jams, which have contributed to significant flooding events in the past.
