GRCA Watershed Water Conservation Recommended

Posted Thursday, July 12, 2018

Water conservation recommended throughout Grand River watershed

Due to persistent dry conditions, the Grand River Low Water Response Team  is recommending water conservation throughout the Grand River watershed.

The call for conservation comes from the group, made up of representatives of major water users including municipalities, farmers, golf course operators, water bottlers, aggregate businesses, Six Nations and others.

Under the Ontario Low Water Response Program, the team has placed the Grand River watershed in a Level 1 condition. Level 1 results in a request for a voluntary 10 per cent reduction in water consumption by all water users, including municipalities, aggregate operations, golf courses, water bottlers, farms for irrigation, as well as private users.

For residents, the most effective way to conserve water is to follow their municipal outdoor water use bylaws, which limit watering to specific days and times.

The watershed has received little rain over the past two weeks. Some parts of the watershed have not recorded any rain since the last week in June.  Recent temperatures have increased evaporation and plant consumption, resulting in dry conditions throughout the watershed.

The short term weather forecast shows limited precipitation and continued hot temperatures over the next week. The seasonal forecast from Environment Canada indicates near normal precipitation over the next three months and above normal temperatures.

The Grand River Conservation Authority’s major reservoirs are within their normal operating range for this time of year. The GRCA has been augmenting the flow in the Grand, Conestogo and Speed rivers with water stored in its reservoir system. The water in the reservoirs is released gradually during the summer and fall to ensure there is enough water to support the operation of municipal drinking water plants and wastewater treatment plants. Flow augmentation also helps support the overall health of the river system. Stream flow is low in many of the smaller watercourses, as well as those that do not receive flow augmentation from the reservoirs.

Water levels in the reservoirs will continue to be monitored throughout the summer to ensure flow targets can be maintained if dry conditions persist.

More information on the Low Water Response Program is available on the GRCA website at www.grandriver.ca.

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Media contacts:

Cam Linwood, GRCA Communications Coordinator
Phone 519-621-2763 x2251  |  Email clinwood@grandriver.ca

Lisa Stocco, GRCA Manager of Communications
Phone 519-621-2763 x2316  |  Email lstocco@grandriver.ca

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