The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Water Response Team declared a Level 1 Low Water Advisory for the entire ABCA watershed area yesterday.
Water Resources Coordinator, Davin Heinbuck, says they haven't seen run-off in the ABCA watershed for over a month.
"We have not seen run-off in our watershed for over a month now and we were hoping that the rain last night would have given us a shot at something. But, here we are, now looking two weeks out in the forecast period and there is really no guarantee of rain."
Heinbuck says the pattern through most of the summer has been that most of the rain fall veers to the north or the far south of the ABCA watershed. He says if they don't get some rain soon, some farmers will have to turn to irrigation systems, which will put further stress on the rivers and water courses.
Heinbuck says he believes there are some chances for rain about a week out in the forecast.
"I think there are chances about a week out that we might get some thunderstorms, but, as I said before, the pattern has been this summer that we have these chances, we've had a lot of dry cold fronts come through and not have that rain with it. I can't be optimistic at this time that we're going to get rain just because there's rain in the seven-day forecast."
Heinbuck says even if normal precipitation patterns return, the ability of the watershed to rebound has been impacted. He says plant and crop cover, combined with warm summer temperatures, mean less rainfall will become available to streamflow.
