Creeks run low in dry spell
Reducing water consumption by 10% will help, Otonabee Conservation officials say
Otonabee Conservation is urging residents to reduce their water use by 10 per cent because of low water levels.
The Otonabee Region Water Response Team is asking locals to conserve water until further notice.
Persistent high temperatures, a lack of rain and poor streamflow have led to the dry spell.
Precipitation in May, June and July was persistently below normal for this time of year with above-normal temperatures also in effect.
There was only 62.2 millimetres of rain in Peterborough in May, 51.7 mm in June, 37.5 mm in July and 21.9 mm so far in August, according to Environment Canada.
The result so far is low flow rates in rivers and creeks in the city and county.
Jackson Creek’s flow rate was below normal for May, June and July. The flow was 86 per cent of a normal year in May, 46 per cent of normal in June and 33 per cent of normal in July.
“There is a natural cycle of high to low flows throughout the course of the year and then when you get into drought conditions there’s a departure from that cycle,” said Dan Marinigh, CAO for Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA), which is part of the water response team.
Rural creeks and rivers are typically more resilient to prolonged hot and dry conditions because of shade and wetlands, but they’re now beginning to flow at below-normal rates as well.
In Asphodel-Norwood Township, Ouse River flowed at 56 per cent of a normal rate for July.
Despite low flows in creeks and rivers, wells haven’t been affected yet.
In 2016, a drought caused many wells on rural properties to go dry.
Marinigh said the county isn’t facing empty wells just yet, but it’s a possibility if high temperatures and lack of rain continues.
“If this persists, the dry conditions will get deeper in the soil and we may start to encounter areas where personal wells flow is going to be reduced,” he said.
To combat the issue, Otonabee Region Water Response Team is asking people to reduce their water usage.
That could mean taking shorter showers, holding off on washing the car, sweeping the driveway instead of hosing it down, installing rain barrels, and covering pools to avoid evaporation, for example.
Because water is a shared resource, water tables affect a lot of people, Marinigh said.
While a 10 per cent reduction might not seem like it’ll help, it all adds up.
“You’re really tapping into a shared resource, so anything you do is contributing to a shared solution.”
ORCA suggests that water conservation become part of everyone’s daily routine. Here are some tips on how to conserve:
• Water wisely and adhere to any municipal watering restrictions.
• Repair leaks in the bathroom and kitchen properly.
• Retrofit fixtures to more water-efficient standards.
Watershed conditions are analyzed monthly and a status is developed based on data collected over the preceding three months.
Otonabee Region Water Response Team – made up of local municipalities, water management agencies, tourism and agriculture, provincial and federal agencies, First Nations, and ORCA – is scheduled to meet in early September to review water levels.