The Lucknow Sentinel, 2014-03-19, Page 5Ausable Bayfield say floods could be serious risk
There is a lot of snow and ice in the
area after one of the coldest and snowi-
est winters in three decades.
That poses a high risk of floods when
the snow begins to melt, according to
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Author-
ity (ABCA).
Ausable Bayfield Conservation
Authority staff members do regular
monitoring of the amount of snow and
the water equivalent in the snow at sev-
eral locations in the watershed. This
provides valuable information in
assessing the potential for flooding. The
depth of snow pack and the water
equivalent in that snow were at the
highest early -March levels in about 30
years, according to Davin Heinbuck,
ABCA Lands and Water Technologist.
Water equivalent in snow ranged from
75 millimetres (mm) up to 150 mm,
which is more than three times the
average for the beginning of March.
The large amount of snow isn't the
only problem, either. The lake and riv-
ers are covered with ice and that ice is
very thick. With the current snowpack,
flooding and ice -jam flooding risk is
high, especially if the weather gets too
warm, too fast and there is rain at the
same time.
The ABCA watershed has the poten-
tial for flows similar to the December
2008 and February 2009 floods, accord-
ing to the conservation authority. Those
two events were among the largest and
most widespread flooding events
recorded in the watershed. "The risk of
flooding is high," said Alec Scott, ABCA
Water and Planning Manager, in a
March 13 interview. "A rapid melt, or a
rapid melt combined with rain, could
lead to very high runoff, high flows in
rivers and creeks, and it could break up
river ice:'
The high volume of ice in local water-
courses increases the chance that ice
jams could occur and that would add to
flooding, according to Scott. When ice
jams add to flooding, water levels can
rise quickly. That means there could be
little or no time for the conservation
authority to issue a flood message such
as a Flood Watch or a Flood Warning.
Several communities in the ABCA
area are prone to ice jam flooding. They
include Port Franks and, to a lesser
extent, Grand Bend and Bayfield. Some
Ontario communities have called in ice
breakers to clear river mouth channels
in the past but at the more traditional
ice jamming location in Port Franks the
mouth of the river is too shallow for an
ice breaker, according to ABCA staff.
Other factors such as saturated or fro-
zen ground conditions may contribute
to flooding problems, causing water to
run off rather than soak into the ground.
Branches and trees left behind by win-
ter storms can pose a risk of clogging
bridges and culverts and adding to
localized flooding issues.
Local streams are expected to be fast
flowing with near zero degree water
temperatures over the next few weeks.
The public is reminded to stay away
from stream banks as they will be slip-
pery and unstable. Areas with ice and
snow covered watercourses should be
considered unsafe.
Water levels in the flood control res-
ervoir in Parkhill are being kept low to
be able to capture as much water as
possible when the snow melts to reduce
the impact of flooding in downstream
areas. ABCA staff members will be
monitoring weather forecasts, and
watershed conditions, and advise
watershed municipalities if the risk of
flooding seems imminent.
The ABCA held a Flood Emergency
Planning Meeting on March 4 with
community emergency management
coordinators and municipal staff.
ABCA provides flood forecasting and
warning to municipalities and can also
assist municipalities with technical
advice in the case of a flood event. In
the event of a flood, Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority provides flood
warnings to municipal flood coordina-
tors and emergency services personnel
who then carry out the local flood
response.
There are three levels of flood mes-
sages: - Watershed Conditions State-
ment - Flood Outlook / Water Safety, -
Flood Watch, - Flood Warning
There are several ways for the public
to find ABCA's flood messages. Here's
an easy way: - Visit www.abca. on. ca
and click on the Flood Messages dial
icon on the home page.
Here are some other ways to obtain
flood messages: - Follow Ausable Bay-
field Conservation on Twitter. Click the
Twitter icon on the ABCA home page
or visit this link: http://twitter.com/
LandWaterNews - Like Ausable Bay-
field Conservation on Facebook. Type
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Author-
ity' into the search box at facebook.
com. Or, click the Facebook icon on the
ABCA home page. You may also visit
this link directly:/www.facebook.com/
pages/Ausable-Bayfield-Conservation-
Authority/163006113762184
- Type 'flood' into the search box at
the top of the abca.on.ca home page.
This will show you the location of the
flood messages page which is found at:
www.abca.on.ca/floodbulletins.php
Wednesday, March 19, 2014 • Lucknow Sentinel 5
Steven Goetz QMI Agency
An area man flipped over his car on Bruce County Road 6 just
south of Ripley, Ont. just before 3 p.m. on Wed. March 12, 2014.
A few good samaritans stopped to help him climb out of the
vehicle. Patrick Gibbons of Ripley, Ont. was the first to stop; he
helped the older man to his truck to keep warm while waiting
for police to arrive.
No injuries or
charges after
rollover on Hwy 6
No charges were laid and the driver of a car that rolled over
on Bruce Road 6 in Huron Township was treated for minor
injuries on March 14, 2014.
The crash was reported at 2:43 p.m. and South Bruce OPP
responded with Bruce County EMS.
Officers arrived to find that a Blue Chrysler Dynasty was
east bound on Bruce Road 6 when it struck a snowbank and
rolled over.
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