There continue to be high water levels on many
reservoir and flow-through lakes, especially in the Gull River watershed. These
can be monitored on the TSW website at http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/visit/ne-wl/trent_e.asp
Haliburton County and its Municipalities are a source
of useful information along with local media: there have been over 40 postings
in the past few days. Additional information is also available from Kawartha
Conservation for lakes to the south. Please check these links:
http://www.haliburtoncounty.ca/flooding.asp
http://haliburtonhighlander.ca
http://www.kawarthaconservation.com
The Coalition notes that the heavy rains of April
18-19th across the region contributed 40 – 50 mm of rain. According
to Environment Canada the average precipitation for all of April is 70mm and
the historic extreme event was 49mm of rain in 1956.
The Coalition applauds the efforts of Trent Severn
Waterway staff and others who have been working to manage the dams and other
infrastructure that affect water levels following this unusual rain event. We
note that the rain came at a time when the ground was still frozen in many
places resulting in the rapid run-off of water from the land into the lakes and
rivers.
Once the emergency is over, the Coalition will be working
with its members in an attempt to ensure that the lessons learned from this
event are heeded for the future.