Conservationists are urging some residents and businesses to conserve water as dry conditions have led to low water levels in the Thames River.
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) issued a level one water condition advisory this week as a lack of precipitation over the last several months has resulted in a low water situation in the UTRCA's watershed.
"We evaluate low water conditions by looking at several indicators, including precipitation and stream flows,” said Senior Water Resources Engineer Mark Helsten in a release. "The watershed received an average of 17 millimetres of rain between June 15 and July 15, which is only about 22 per cent of normal. Precipitation over the last three months [April 15 to July 15] was approximately 58 per cent of normal."
The UTRCA said stream flows across the watershed are also below normal for this time of year, and are expected to drop even lower due to the ongoing lack of rainfall.
Over the spring, the two reservoirs reached their target summer elevations, the authority said. The stored water is now gradually being released to augment downstream flows in the north and south Thames Rivers.
With that in mind, the UTRCA is encouraging people, businesses, and industries that rely on local surface water or groundwater to do their part in conserving water. Most watershed municipalities have water conservation programs in place, so not all municipalities will be impacted.
"The City of London and some other communities take water from Lake Huron and Lake Erie," the UTRCA said. "Reducing water use in these communities will not improve flows in the Thames River or its tributaries."
Level one bulletins are issued when stream flows are approximately 70 per cent of their normal flow or the watershed’s precipitation for one month falls below 80 per cent of average.
