Level 1 Low Water Advisory Issued

LPRCA urges water conservation throughout the Long Point Region watershed.

Water users throughout the Long Point Region watershed are being asked to voluntarily reduce their water consumption by 10 percent because of the unusually dry weather in recent months.

Based on the cumulative lack of rainfall since the beginning of May and lower than typical stream flow and groundwater levels in many areas, the Long Point Region Joint Low Water Response Team (WRT) is issuing a Level 1 Low Water Advisory for all areas of the Long Point Region watershed.

The local Low Water Response Team is made up of representatives from watershed municipalities, the local agricultural sector, other major water users, several provincial ministries and Long Point Region Conservation Authority (LPRCA). At a conference call last Thursday, the WRT noted the more northerly areas of LPRCA have been particularly dry this summer, having received only about 50-75% of average rainfall for this time of year over the past 90 days. Areas closer to the lake have generally seen amounts closer to normal.

In response, LPRCA encourages everyone to follow their municipal water use bylaws and to reduce non-essential uses of water.

Urban and rural residents can help by restricting water use, such as lawn watering and car washing; identifying and fixing leaks; and taking care to conserve water indoors.

Irrigators can reduce consumption and the impact on groundwater aquifers and watercourses by following best practices for irrigation, such as:

• Arranging with their neighbor to stagger irrigation times;
• Pumping at a lower rate over a longer period of time and store water in a pond if possible;
• Ensuring that their equipment is running efficiently and not leaking; and
• Minimizing daytime irrigation, or when windy, to reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation.

By following these and other best practices, residents in the Long Point Region proactively assist in minimizing the impacts of low water on aquatic ecosystems; conserving water supplies in the event conditions worsen; and hopefully limiting or reducing the need for stronger water restriction measures.

LPRCA will continue to monitor stream flow, groundwater levels and precipitation, and will provide updates as watershed conditions change.

Information on the Low Water Response Program is available on the LPRCA website.

For further information about watershed conditions contact LPRCA at 519-842-4242.