RAIN STOPS, FLOODING A WORRY
The city’s wastewater treatment plant was placed on secondary bypass, meaning that water leaving the plant is receiving an initial cleaning treatment but not a final polishing treatment, the city announced Monday afternoon.
Environment Canada recorded 43.8 millimetres of rain at the Peterborough Airport as of 4 p.m. Monday, with winds up to 53.6 km/h.
About 70 mm of precipitation also fell from Thursday to Sunday, according to Otonabee Conservation.
Property owners along the Otonabee River downstream of the plant who use private systems to draw water from the river were advised to take precautions and boil water.
The city also asked city residents on municipal water to reduce their water system to help curb the water volume entering the wastewater treatment plant.
“Residents can reduce their water consumption by taking short showers instead of baths, limiting or delaying loads of laundry, limiting or delaying dishwasher use, and turning off taps while brushing teeth and doing dishes,” a release from the city states.
A flood warning from the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority and a rainfall warning for Environment Canada for Peterborough and the Kawarthas remained in effect Monday.
Both the city and Otonabee Conservation are urging people to stay well back of watercourses, shorelines, dams and piers during the storm.
On Monday, Otonabee Conservation updated its flood warning that was first issued on Saturday.
“Inflows to the Kawarthas Lakes from the Haliburton Lakes region to the north have dramatically increased,” the Otonabee Conservation flood warning as of 1 p.m. Monday stated.
“Outflows from the Kawartha Lakes through the Otonabee River have also increased. (Monday’s) Otonabee River flows below Lock 19 are an estimated 280 cubic metres per second.”
A warm spell is expected in Peterborough and the Kawarthas later this week and that will increase waterflows further throughout the Kawartha Lakes and the Otonabee River watershed, Otonabee Conservation warns.
“Residents and businesses located in low-lying, flood-vulnerable areas on the shores of the Kawartha Lakes, the Otonabee River and Rice Lake are advised to prepare themselves and their property for still greater increases of water levels and flows in the coming days.”
After five days of rain, ice pellets, freezing rain and snow, the rain was expected to taper off in Peterborough and the Kawarthas by Monday night.
Peterborough woke up to a blanket of ice Monday morning.
School buses in Peterborough and area were cancelled Monday, affecting classes and special events, including a basketball tournament at St. Peter Secondary School.
Riverview Park and Zoo was again closed on Monday because of the conditions.
Peterborough County postponed its leaf and yard waster collection that had been scheduled for this week until the week of April 30. It affects residents living in the: Arnott and Gifford Drive, Bridgenorth, Emerald Isle, Ennismore, Terraview Heights, Woodland Acres and Youngstown collection areas.
Douro-Dummer Township cancelled recycling pickup Monday, and offered limited garbage pickup. Residents were advised that they can put out double the usual limit of garbage and recycling next year.
Downed power lines led to outages in the city and county.
Since the beginning of the storm, Hydro One crews have restored power to more than 200,000 customers as of Monday afternoon, but more than 125,000 across Ontario remained without power.
Most customers should get power back by Monday afternoon or Monday night, Hydro One said, but customers in Fenelon Falls could remain without power overnight and into Tuesday.
More than 350 resources including lines maintainers, foresters, support staff and technicians have been mobilized to southwestern Ontario, and more than 500 have been mobilized provincewide, Hydro One said.